Comments on: Paul Levy’s at It Again http://blog.hcfama.org/2007/02/16/paul-levys-at-it-again/ The Ultimate Massachusetts Health Care Insider Information Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:41:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Charley on the MTA http://blog.hcfama.org/2007/02/16/paul-levys-at-it-again/#comment-536 Sat, 17 Feb 2007 06:11:11 +0000 http://blog.hcfama.org/?p=826#comment-536 “stoned silence”? Well, that *would* explain a lot.

Seriously, good for Paul for dispensing with the loser talk.

Now how about some transparency from insurers, too?

]]> By: BC http://blog.hcfama.org/2007/02/16/paul-levys-at-it-again/#comment-535 Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:25:31 +0000 http://blog.hcfama.org/?p=826#comment-535 It would also be helpful if we got the regulatory changes necessary to allow hospitals to disclose the reimbursement rates they actually receive from insurers, whether case rates or per diem payments to go along with the quality and outcome metrics.

If insurers are interested in fostering competition among providers, they should make it easier for doctors to steer patients to hospitals, imaging centers, labs, etc. that strike the best balance between cost and quality. If patients want to do their own research as well, that’s fine, but doctors drive virtually all healthcare costs through hospital admissions, ordering tests, prescribing drugs, consulting with patients, referring to specialists and doing procedures themselves. They would presumably be in the best position to make effective use of price and quality information. Of course, they probably don’t want to compete on price and quality either, but maybe they should be forced to.

]]>