Walt Rugland the chairman of both the ThedaCare board and the ThedaCare Center board, testified recently in a House hearing on transparency of prices in healthcare
Transparency is one of the three fundamental reforms the Center has been espousing for many months.The other two are delivery system redesign to improve value to patients using lean and a payment system that rewards value.
Congressman Steve Kagen (DWi) introduced a bill in Congress recently on transparency of healthcare pricing. Chairman Walt Rugland testified at the congressional hearing on this bill that cost and quality transparency have been one of the cornerstones of ThedaCare's remarkable quality improvement and cost reductions. Although this bill does not include transparency of quality performance the two go hand in hand in allowing patients to make good decisions about where to receive their care.
It doesn't appear this bill will pass this year but the good news is the conversation has started.The following article suggests it might even get bipartisan support!
http://www.policymed.com/2010/05/transparency-in-health-care-pricing-using-subways-5-dollar-foot-long-combinations.html
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