Minnesota Patients Shop Around for Health Care

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced this week the nation's first web-tool that allows consumers to shop around for health care (consumers see insurers' negotiated rates). The site, mnhealthscores.org was developed by MN Community Measurement, which is a "collaborative of state health providers that collected the data from insurance companies", says a Star Tribune article. The article continues, noting that the site provides the average cost for 103 common medical procedures from 110 providers in the state, about 85 percent of primary care in Minnesota. The payment information supplements the quality data that was already on the site, which provides scores on diabetes, vascular disease, depression, and patient experience.