Finally: Transparency = Cash

[Welcome Industry Radar readers!]

Long-time IB readers know that I have a keen interest in (obsession with?) transparency in health care. That is, I think that pricing and outcomes should more closely follow the McDonald's model than the airlines'. Except for emergency situations, where speed is perhaps the most important criteria, consumers should be able to compare the costs and likely results of procedures and treatments before having to make a decision.

It never occurred to me that one could also make a buck off of this:

"Alliance Community Hospital wants to pay you $100 or more to find out how much your health insurer paid for care you received at rival hospitals."

I have mixed feeling about this: on the one hand, it seems to me a good thing that they're taking this effort so seriously. On the other, wouldn't handing out $100 bills affect their own pricing, forcing them to increase costs?

There's no doubting their commitment to transparency itself, though: they even have a page which lists their charges for a variety of procedures, as well as how those charges stack up against the competition.

Aside from price, another aspect of transparency is a sharing of outcomes and satisfaction levels. In this area, too, Alliance Community seems to have fully embraced the concept: on still another page, they provide a "report card" on their level of care.

And as if that weren't enough, the hospital's CEO, Stan Jonas, runs a blog with insights and information. He even has a comments section, which provides a level of executive transparency, as well.

Kudos!