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ABC News Affiliate WSB-TV Investigation Shows inconsistency in Hospital Procedure Pricing
New Online Company Offers Pricing Transparency and Value
ATLANTA In the current environment of soaring health insurance deductibles and co-pays and consumers having to pay a bigger piece of employer-sponsored plans, an investigative report by ABC News affiliate WSB TV uncovered a huge discrepancy in hospital procedure pricing.
In a special report aired last Wednesday, Channel 2 Action News called 10 local hospitals to ask for the price of a simple procedure: a non-contrast brain MRI. The reporter got more than ten estimates, ranging from $300 to nearly $13,000. Several hospitals gave different prices for the same procedure.
While the executive director of the Georgia Hospital Association, Glenn Pearson, said healthcare financing is “complicated and hospitals are trying to become more responsive,” the report suggested an alternative, available solution: upfront pricing and complete transparency of medical costs.
A new company in Georgia called HealthGate is an online shopping site for healthcare where consumers get the complete price of a procedure upfront, from board certified providers, and with 25 to 75 percent savings.
“HealthGate works through the collaborative partnerships we have with Atlanta’s leading healthcare providers,” says Tanya Mack, HealthGate president, “Our board certified medical partners pass along savings to our members through select procedures and services offered daily. Clear pricing with no hidden costs, intended to help consumers with out-of–pocket expenses.”
For more information on HealthGate, go to www.healthgate.com. To see the entire WSB TV story: Click here.
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