Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant

“Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

This quote from Louisville native and Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis concerns the benefits of transparency and openness. These two qualities, unfortunately, are not typically found in the byzantine world that is hospital pricing.

When contacting a hospital to inquire about the cost of a surgical procedure, you might receive one of the following responses:

• “That depends.”

• “We don’t provide that information over the phone.”

• “Do you have insurance?”

• “Someone will call you back (…never).”

However, there is a hospital/surgery center that is fostering competition and empowerment by posting online their guaranteed all-inclusive pricing, per procedure. As reported by Oklahoma City’s News Channel 4, this is not happening at Mayo, Cleveland Clinic or Boston Mass General — you need to come to the Surgery Center of Oklahoma as the nexus of this price disclosure revolution.

The founders of the Surgery Center have started a bidding war, and several other local facilities have followed suit in posting prices for all to see and understand.

The Surgery Center of Oklahoma is not without its detractors who accuse them of:

• Cherry-picking the healthiest/wealthiest patients

• Oversimplifying complicated issues

• Not accepting Medicare/Medicaid

• Concentrating on predictable elective procedures

• Causing price deflation which will hurt large urban-based hospitals

It’s hard to argue, however, with the Surgery Center’s tag-line on their website.  They claim to be:

• Free market-loving

• Price-displaying

• State-of-the-art

• Fully accredited

• Doctor owned

I think Justice Brandeis might approve.