How To Compare Costs For Services, Procedures At Minnesota Hospitals

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Most of us check the price of something before we buy it, but that's not always readily available during a visit to the doctor.

A federal law that went into effect last year says hospitals are "required to provide clear, accessible pricing information about the items and services they provide," according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

But a new report from Patient Rights Advocate, a watchdog nonprofit group, found that 85% of 1,000 randomly selected hospitals aren't in full compliance with the price transparency law.

Cynthia Fisher founded PRA to fight for the kind of transparency that leads to a competitive market.

"We're going to be able to know what is a fair market price for an MRI? Or a colonoscopy? Or childbirth?" she said.

They're not always easy to find, but most healthcare websites have price estimate tools that let consumers compare costs.

"It's going to make hospitals have to compete for our hard-earned healthcare dollars," Fisher said.

The Mayo Clinic has a spreadsheet available to download, with thousands of lines, detailing prices for every service and insurance.

Even before the recent federal requirements, Minnesota law says primary care clinics have to post prices annually of the 25 most common procedures.

"This is a huge win for the American consumers because it shifts powers to the employers, unions and all patients to be able to save," Fisher said.

Price estimates for Allina Healthcare can be found here. HealthPartners, here. CentraCare, here. And the Mayo Clinic, here.