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BCBS TX collaborated with five Blue Plans for providing easy access to consumer-friendly online healthcare expense information tool……”Care Comparison”, created by WellPoint. With the expansion of this transparent online easy to use tool, about 50 million American customers can access useful healthcare cost information that would help the Plan members increasing knowledge as healthcare consumers. They can also learn methods to spend healthcare dollars more efficiently.
According to Darren Rodgers, the president of BCBSTX, Blue Cross is collaborated with nation's largest healthcare benefits company……WellPoint…as well as BCBSFL and Helath Care Services Corporation (HCSC) to offer access to the healthcare expense transparency tool. They are pleased to reach their target of offering access to concise and clear healthcare cost information to even better number of members residing at different major cities of the country. They are hopeful that consumers can cut down healthcare cost by means of such awareness and information.
Care Comparison provides following information:
- Total anticipated cost ranges in association with about 35 particular medical procedures.
- Costs considered are for procedures conducted at over 2700 local hospitals, free-standing radiology facilities, outpatient surgery centers or other medical services.
- Cost ranges vary on the facilities offered; so that the members can evaluate differences in healthcare costs between areas of facilities.
- Ranges of medical expense information which would be rolled out initially on the limited basis in every state.
- Anticipated cost ranges on the basis of combining associated services normally conducted at each of the facilities at the time of procedure, not the procedure itself.
In addition to that BCBSA or Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, which is an association of independent BCBS companies, has chosen the Care Comparison as its platform for the nationwide transparency solution available to the Blue Plans. BCBSA would use treatment categories and expense methodology as the key component for this consumer-friendly online healthcare expense information tool.
This arrangement facilitates WellPoint's affiliated healthcare plans, BCBSA and other Blue Plans to work together with the physicians and facilities in order to serve members with valuable healthcare cost information. As a result, the members can make wise and informed decisions about health and healthcare expenditures. The tool will be personalized to reflect local ownership as well as health plans in every state. However, they can avail same information from all the states related to this program.
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