Is this good news ?

[bill3173]

Possibly.

There are places like Coast that publish prices for some things. Problem is, fewer than 20% of dentists are par providers. So you have 80%+ that don't discount and have no reason to publish pricing.

Thank you Somarco, as usual, you see the point without me having to go into detail.

Ex. My wife has been searching for an oral surgeon to pull a wisdom tooth, her father(dentist) doesn't do that type of work. She spent half the day, calling offices that refused to give her a well defined price range, and didn't really want to discuss price at all.

Sure, I understand what healthagent meant, they're glad to print off a price list amounting to $1000 for a crown, while you're sitting there and everybody is in love, but these are commodity items.

From dentist to dentist the same crown can run from $450 ot $1000. Some dentist crank these things out all day long for $500 or less and good ones too. Try and find that info.

 

[HomeService]

Did any of you guys get the email from Aetna today talking about Max Baucus' call to action? They were saying that there is a lot in there that Aetna agrees with! But a lot they do not agree with. And that Kennedy is getting ready to introduce some other call to action.

 

[somarco]

with price transparency it might be possible for one hospital to provide "poor" treatment for cancer - stroke - heart attack?

Yes, and no.

Treating major illness is patient unique. What works for you may not be for me. Transparency is useless in that case.

Outcomes by hospital, and doc, are quite different. I am not saying substandard care, but treatment protocol and results vary widely. Plenty of studies bear this out.

Here is a link from a quick search based on "clinical success rates by hospital"

http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinicalservices/Site457/mainpageS457P5sublevel11.html

For sure, a hospital that openly publishes such information is going to be a top tier hospital. If you look hard enough you can find data that compares outcomes by hospitals.
Bill -

You can ask a dentist to pre-certify treatment, especially if you have dental coverage. Absent that you just call around.

Dental work, even complex procedures (unlike complex medical situations) are pretty much cut & dry. A crown is a crown is a crown as far as the procedure is concerned. The difference will be the type of crown. Lab fees will vary from provider to provider depending on how the crown is made.

 

[Guest]

Seriously I read this and it seems simple to do, right?



From Baucus.

·Reduce health care costs
·Improve the quality of care our system provides
·Baucus’ vision for achieving these objectives includes an individual responsibility to hold health insurance – once quality, affordable, care is accessible to all.
·His plan seeks to reach that point through measures to shore up the employer-based system, through a one-stop insurance marketplace for individuals and businesses, and through limited expansions of public programs.

Did any of you guys get the email from Aetna today talking about Max Baucus' call to action? They were saying that there is a lot in there that Aetna agrees with! But a lot they do not agree with. And that Kennedy is getting ready to introduce some other call to action.

 

[bill3173]

Bill -

You can ask a dentist to pre-certify treatment, especially if you have dental coverage. Absent that you just call around.

Dental work, even complex procedures (unlike complex medical situations) are pretty much cut & dry. A crown is a crown is a crown as far as the procedure is concerned. The difference will be the type of crown. Lab fees will vary from provider to provider depending on how the crown is made.

I feel like Mel Gibson at the end of Payback. Calling around and getting prices is not easy. They're not always forthcoming. I think that if they would advertise their prices, it would help.

Dentist charge way too much and the prices are wildly inconsistent. Most healthy people spend very little at the Doctor's office and a fortune on dental care.

Let a couple of wisdom teeth come in the wrong way and ruin adjacent teeth and the cost can be considerable.

Know the difference between a dentist and a sadist?

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

Yes, and no.

Treating major illness is patient unique. What works for you may not be for me. Transparency is useless in that case.

Outcomes by hospital, and doc, are quite different. I am not saying substandard care, but treatment protocol and results vary widely. Plenty of studies bear this out.

Here is a link from a quick search based on "clinical success rates by hospital"

Statistics & Outcomes - Cardiovascular Program - Clinical Services - Children's Hospital Boston

For sure, a hospital that openly publishes such information is going to be a top tier hospital. If you look hard enough you can find data that compares outcomes by hospitals.
Bill -

You can ask a dentist to pre-certify treatment, especially if you have dental coverage. Absent that you just call around.

Dental work, even complex procedures (unlike complex medical situations) are pretty much cut & dry. A crown is a crown is a crown as far as the procedure is concerned. The difference will be the type of crown. Lab fees will vary from provider to provider depending on how the crown is made.

I still tend to disagree. Let's put the information on the net that XYZ hospital charges $180 for an IV drip and ABC hospital only charges $60.

Then let's let the information out that an IV drip should only cost $20 including proper mark up and let patients go mental after receiving bills to force changes.

Imagine getting your oil changed and getting billed for $350.

While there's nothing a patient can do about needing immediate care they can receive an ER bill for a broken arm and get hammered with a $1,500 bill - then go online, do a breakdown and see that another ER would have charged $800.

 

[retread]

I feel like Mel Gibson at the end of Payback. Calling around and getting prices is not easy. They're not always forthcoming. I think that if they would advertise their prices, it would help.

Dentist charge way too much and the prices are wildly inconsistent. Most healthy people spend very little at the Doctor's office and a fortune on dental care.

Let a couple of wisdom teeth come in the wrong way and ruin adjacent teeth and the cost can be considerable.

Know the difference between a dentist and a sadist?

Just guessing... the sadist enjoys his work? He doesn't charge for it, either....

 

[moonlightandmargaritas]

Seriously I read this and it seems simple to do, right?



From Baucus.

·Reduce health care costs
·Improve the quality of care our system provides

This is more of the typical, broad-brush, lawyer-speak political pandering that is so pervasive today.

If they're so important (and easy), why aren't they being done now?

Like Obama says, better coverage for more people, at less cost. Anybody naive and stupid enough to believe that kind of crap deserves what they get.

End of rant.

 

[Guest]

Yes, be careful what you wish for . . .

This is more of the typical, broad-brush, lawyer-speak political pandering that is so pervasive today.

If they're so important (and easy), why aren't they being done now?

Like Obama says, better coverage for more people, at less cost. Anybody naive and stupid enough to believe that kind of crap deserves what they get.

End of rant.