Medical price shopping hits Web

Need a colonoscopy? That'll be $1,354 at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester -- or just $402 at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

For the first time in the nation, a Web tool is offering health care shoppers a glimpse into what insurance companies pay on average for 103 common medical procedures, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Wednesday.

The 110 providers included in the comparison tool provide about 85 percent of the primary care in Minnesota. More providers and procedures are expected to be added.

The tool was developed by MN Community Measurement, a collaborative of state health care providers that collected the data from insurance companies. The payment information supplements quality data already available on the collaborative's website, mnhealthscores.org.

The tool shows wide disparities in prices, officials noted, although the new system was a bit slow and balky Wednesday, and some comparisons were not coming up online.

Ear wax removal: St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System, Duluth, $106; Foley Medical Center, Foley, $53.

The website may offer a glimpse of what the state will unveil next year in its effort to lower health care costs by exposing them, said Jim Chase, president of the nonprofit collaborative. The state plans to begin collecting its own health and quality information, available to Minnesotans starting in September. Chase said his organization may bid for that job.

"The right way to go is to a consumer-driven model" like Minnesota's, he said, "not a government-centric model, particularly not a federal government-centric model" favored by congressional Democrats.

Vaginal child delivery: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, $3,821; Silver Lake Clinic, St. Anthony, $2,203.

The prices aren't what a consumer will pay, Chase explained. Each example is the average negotiated price for physician services that insurers pay, including patient co-pays; for an individual, the cost will depend on whether the person has insurance, and if so, what co-pays and deductibles apply.

"Look up the numbers on the website, compare them in your community and take a look at a whole range of procedures, not just the one you're most interested in," Chase recommended. "Then call your insurance company for what your cost will be for a specific service."

The new cost data may help companies or individuals with high-deductible plans decide where to get care, he said.

"There was some push-back," Pawlenty said. Some health providers will be unhappy to see how they compare with others, but that may force them to reexamine their prices, he added.

Pawlenty also formally announced $47 million in state grants over two years to combat smoking and obesity, leading causes of chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease that account for the bulk of health care spending.

The grants will go to 39 communities that cover all but one of the state's 87 counties. The last unnamed county is considering whether to take the state money, which requires a 10 percent local match.

Like the new cost-comparison tool, the state grants mark another first for Minnesota, said Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan -- the first state to begin overhauling its health care system with a statewide prevention program.

Removal of a small wart: Olmsted Medical Center, $216; Broadway Medical Center, Alexandria, $130.