Creating the time and space to shop

This article in USA today is another in a long string of articles since the work of  the Dartmouth Atlas and Atul Gawande's subsequent writings on the variability in costs of care.

Excerpts from the article

"The cash price for a lower-back MRI without dye ranges from $475 at the Castro Valley Open MRI to a whopping $6,221 at the University of California, San Francisco at Mt. Zion. Patients pre-paying or paying on the day of service at UCSF, however, get 40% off........

One example of the problem: Colonoscopies that can cost 50 to 100% more just because it's done at a hospital rather than an independent surgery center............

"Everyone has to produce the same work product," says Fred Rosenberg, a Chicago gastroenterologist who is president of the Digestive Health Physicians Association. "The more patients become more knowledgeable consumers of medical care, the more we can get these places to be upfront about their prices."

It is critical that we  help members especially when they are ill find the time and space to shop for the right care in the right setting at the right price.  The variability of costs and quality make it imperative that our members get the best value and outcomes.