FOOTLOOSE AND…
The ongoing stories about sky-high costs from some medical practitioners and facilities never seem to end. Now there is some help available.
MediBid.com is an online service where doctors and facilities bid for a patient’s business. Citing one recent case, where a 62-year-old patient was given a local hospital’s estimate for a hip replacement at $45,000, the online bid wound up being $13,490. This included the surgery center, anesthesiologist, lab tests, x-rays, etc.
MediBid encourages patients to do their homework and research a doctor’s credentials, just like patients normally do when selecting a new healthcare professional.
”When patients start to behave like consumers, prices come down,” said Chris Hobbs, chief financial officer at MediBid.
Robert S. Huckman, professor of business administration at Harvard and a healthcare pundit, chips in, “The theory behind models like MediBid is that we need more competition among healthcare providers.”
The woman who accepted the $13,490 bid and underwent a totally successful surgery, plus aftercare, couldn’t agree more!
