For more information about enhancing Hospital Advisor with outpatient and diagnostic cost comparisons, contact your account manager.

Hospital Advisor Enhanced with Outpatient and Diagnostic Cost Comparisons

For years, WebMD clients have provided consumers with access to inpatient quality and cost information through the WebMD Hospital Advisor^SM, enabling more informed and confident healthcare decisions. Now health plans can help consumers become cost-conscious about services beyond inpatient procedures. With the new Extended Services Module, Hospital Advisor now provides costs for common (and often costly) outpatient and diagnostic procedures and tests. With outpatient costs comprising as much as 30% of healthcare costs and estimated to be rising at 12% to 14% per year,¹ this should be the next step in your organization’s transparency agenda.

WebMD helps consumers “shop” for healthcare value

Increasingly, consumers are carrying greater cost responsibility for their healthcare. These consumers are more aware of cost and quality differences, and are beginning to act on this information to “shop” for value. Nearly 40% of consumers reported being very or extremely likely to use a primary care doctor instead of a specialist for advice and treatment, while 68% are willing to switch from a branded prescription drug to a generic to save money². Now insurers can give these savvy consumers access to information that will let them effectively evaluate even more healthcare services.

For example, an individual who has been referred for arthroscopic knee surgery can compare costs for a wide range of services, including a diagnostic MRI. When comparing costs for surgery, the patient can compare both inpatient and outpatient options at local facilities to make the most cost-effective choice that also meets the patient’s expectations for quality measures and hospitalization time.

Hospital Advisor provides cost and quality data based on sources including Medicare and The Leapfrog Group. Now health plans can enhance that data with the outpatient procedures and diagnostic tests that will add the most value for their population, and can add cost and volume data that is specific to the organization’s plan.

Integrated tool guides consumers to transparency information

For many consumers, a hurdle to using transparency tools is not knowing where to find personalized, comparative information. Hospital Advisor can be completely integrated into the WebMD Health & Benefits Manager^SM system. Consumers are already familiar with the user interface, and they are guided to the application from related health management tools and from data within their personal health record. This makes transparency data relevant and timely—and more likely to be used.

Find out how you can take the next step in healthcare transparency. Contact your account manager and ask how you can enhance Hospital Advisor with outpatient and diagnostic information.

1. Let’s Talk Healthcare.org: “Drugs - Not the Cost Problem…” April 13, 2007.
2. “Consumer and Physician Readiness for a Retail Healthcare Market: Changing the Basis for Competition.” Booz Allen Hamilton Consumerism Survey Report, April 2007.