'Open Systems' for Consumers Comparison Shopping for Healthcare

Americans can comparison shop online for almost anything today. This ought to apply to the healthcare industry as well. How much are hospitals or clinics charging for medical procedures and other healthcare services? Where is the online Amazon, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart site that you can go to and check the prices before heading off to see your doctor.

To date, many people have not chosen to comparison shop for medical care.  For example, I have insurance that pays most of the bills and I leave it up to the insurance company to haggle with healthcare providers over cost.  Many other Americans are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, the Military Health System, State Hospitals, Veterans Health Administration, Indian Health, or other government run programs. There too they leave the shopping for cost effective services in the hands of others.

Who really knows what a hospital visit or medical procedures ought to really cost? Who cares if you are leaving that in the hands of insurance companies, your employer, or the government? Why should the American people  start comparison shopping for quality healthcare products or service at lower costs? The information has not been readily available and there has been little incentive to do so – until now.

With the huge bill Americans are paying now for their healthcare, coupled with the public brouhaha raised by opponents to the Health Care Reform Act ('Obamacare'), both citizens and politicians are finally tackling this problem with some very practical solutions. They are collecting hard data on costs and making the data available to the public.

A perfect storm involving the 'Open Access', 'Open Data', and 'Open Source' movements are coming together to help address the situation – out of control healthcare costs. A growing number of 'open' technology and solutions are being brought to bear by both the public and private sector.

To get a feel for what I'm talking about, check out some of the growing number of health information portals that are going into place on the World Wide Web  to help individuals and organizations shop for cost effective healthcare products and services:

State Cost Comparison Systems

• Colorado Hospital Price Report
• Iowa Hospital Charges Compare
• Massachusetts MyHealthCare Options
• Minnesota HealthScores
• New Hampshire Health Costs
• West Virginia Compare Care
• Wisconsin PricePoint System

* Many other states like Maine, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Vermont are in the process of putting up similar healthcare cost comparison systems.

National Public & Private Sector Quality & Cost Comparison Sites

• Healthcare Blue Book
• Healthcare.gov Compare
• Leapfrog Group Hospital Compare
• Medicare Cost Compare
• My Health & Money
• New Choice Health Costs
• OutOfPocket Healthcare Costs

Over the next few years, more 'open data' healthcare quality & cost comparison sites will emerge covering every state. 'Open access' to the data will be provided to everyone as citizens begin to become more involved in healthcare purchasing decisions as a result of healthcare reform. 'Open source' software will also have an effect, especially efforts to develop 'Open' Chargemaster Systems. The 'Open Health' Movement is taking hold and having a positive effect on all.

Let us know about any other Healthcare Cost Comparison web sites you would recommend to others.

Why Should Consumers Care About 'Open' Health Software Solutions

Health care provider organizations and computer specialists have begun to understand the benefits of using 'open' health IT solutions. However, most consumers still have no clue why this should be of any concern to them. Here are some key points that need to be communicated to health care consumers:

Consumers ought to establish and start using a free and open source personal health record (PHR). It's as important as your online personal bank account. In fact, your health may be more important to you than your money. How many times have you needed to know what prescriptions you're on, shots you had, surgical procedures, allergies, family medical histories, and more. Consumers ought to make sure their doctor's office is using an electronic health record (EHR) system. It's a sign of your doctor's commitment and ability to practice high quality modern medicine. Are they still handing you a clip board and asking you to check boxes related to you health? Do they have lots of paper files on the shelf behind the receptionist? If they have automated your bill payment, why not your health records. What is a health information exchange (HIE) network and why is it needed? You need an HIE to move data from your health care provider's EHR to your PHR. An HIE network can be used to enable email and information exchange between doctors and their patients. Every state and health care community should be connected to an HIE network. Today's consumers need access to mobile health apps to help you with specific medical problems or health issues, e.g. diabetes, weight, blood pressure, etc.  Many of these health apps are now available for free and work on most vendor's smartphones. Consumers also need access to free, high quality health information and education materials, especially as we move into an era of preventive medicine and self-care.  Free open source tools and public domain data are key to enabling this. Many of these tools, web sites, and information sources are already available. Finally, consumers need access to online public health information that can provide information on such topics as:  the closest hospital or emergency room; cancer clusters in your area; geographic maps showing the status of spreading flu or epidemics; potential environmental hazards in your neighborhood; and much more.  Again, these should be free, online systems using public domain data sources.

Consumer Health Information Systems

Links to selected 'open' Personal Health Record (PHR) systems: ·         AHIMA myPHR ·         My Family Health Portrait ·         Google Health ·         HealtheMe ·         Indivo ·         iHealth Record ·         MS HealthVault   ·         My HealtheVet ·         PHR News Portal

Links to selected Health Information for Patients & Providers: ·         AAFP FamilyDoctor  ·         American Medical Association (AMA) ·         HealthCare.Gov ·         iTriage Health ·         HHS HealthFinder.Gov ·         National Clinical Guidelines Clearinghouse ·         NCI Cancer.Gov ·         NLM MedLine Plus ·         WebMD

Have you started using a Personal Health Record (PHR) system? A free consumer health information web site? Tell us about the best of them out there.