Oakwood is First Healthcare System in Southeast Michigan to Post Pricing Information o...( DEARBORN Mich. Dec. 20 -- Oakwoo...),Health

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. (OHI) today became the first healthcare system in southeast Michigan to post the most up-to-date and comprehensive pricing information for hundreds of surgeries, tests and procedures on its Web site, http://www.oakwood.org/value. This is a natural step forward as Oakwood was the first healthcare system in southeast Michigan to begin posting key quality outcomes on its Web site more than two years ago.

"As a result of consumer feedback, Oakwood is proactively moving into the next era of healthcare by providing a more meaningful and transparent system for reporting both cost and quality," said Brian Connolly, chief executive officer, OHI. "With consumers paying more and more directly for healthcare services, we believe that having access to this important information will result in patients making more informed healthcare decisions - and above all, lead healthier lives."

Oakwood has also worked in partnership with the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) in the development and launch of the MIHospitalInform.org Web site, scheduled to debut in January 2008. The MHA site includes data from Medicare, featuring the top 50 inpatient and outpatient procedures. Together, Oakwood and the MHA are leading the way by voluntarily releasing detailed quality and pricing information.

In addition to consumer feedback, Oakwood partnered with both insurance payors and employers in the development of the pricing portion of its Web site.

"Everyone wants more information, they want to be educated," said Julie Peltier, director of hospital contracting for OHCS/Multiplan insurance company. "We as insurance companies need to try to educate members and encourage them to make more educated decisions on where they're going to receive services, and Oakwood's transparency program helps us accomplish this goal," sai
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