Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has expanded its transparency initiative into Maine by providing its members with Anthem Care Comparison, an online tool that calculates total estimated costs associated with all aspects of nearly 40 specific medical procedures performed at local area hospitals.
The comparison tool helps members understand the typical costs associated with all aspects of a specific medical procedure, including hospital, physician and anesthesia costs to lab tests and recovery room charges. The cost information is also facility-specific, so members can compare the differences in cost among hospitals as well as information on how frequently facilities perform each procedure. This information is supplied by several company-developed programs and through partnerships with information management companies.
"These facility-specific medical care cost estimates help consumers understand the overall costs they are likely to incur before a medical service is provided," said Dan Corcoran, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine. "We're committed to providing more and better information about the cost of healthcare services and the quality of those services, and this tool is a significant step in that direction."
The data generated for the Anthem Care Comparison tool comes directly from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield's paid claims data from the past 12 months and is updated quarterly.
"Ultimately, we want the Anthem Care Comparison tool to create well-informed consumers of healthcare," said Jeff Holmstrom, D.O., medical director for Anthem in Maine. "Creating knowledgeable consumers, employers, physicians and hospital providers is an important element of transparency, and an essential step in transforming the consumers' role in their own healthcare."
Anthem plans to continue expanding access to the comparison tool to Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans across the country. With the current expansion in Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut, nearly 8 million Anthem members now have access to it.