Anthem Expands Care Comparison to California

Anthem Blue Cross members in six California counties can now go online to find the estimated cost of medical procedures performed at local hospitals. Care Comparison is available to members in Los Angeles, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Santa Clara counties. “Through this tool, our members have access to the costs associated with all aspects of a specific medical procedure,not just the cost of the procedure itself, but also the costs of the entire spectrum of care, from lab tests to recovery room charges,” stated Steve Melody, vice president of Health Care Services of Anthem Blue Cross in California. Because cost information is facility specific, members can compare the differences in cost among hospitals and get information on how often facilities perform each procedure. The data generated for the Anthem Care Comparison tool is updated quarterly and comes from claims that have been paid out over the past year. Cost and quality information is also supplied by company-developed programs and partnerships with information management companies.