The Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC) is excited to announce an update to its innovative Shop for Care tool, designed to equip Colorado residents with transparent information to make cost-effective decisions about their health care. This tool offers a one-stop shop for comparing quality and prices across various types of facilities, often revealing more affordable options that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The updated tool now includes 2024 commercial health insurance data from the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD). Consumers can use Shop for Care to compare prices and quality information for more than 260 health care services at more than 150 hospitals and facilities throughout Colorado.
Health care prices can vary significantly depending on where someone receives care, even for the same service. Shop for Care makes those differences easier to see by bringing facility-level price and quality information together in one place. By using this tool, consumers can potentially save tens of thousands of dollars on medical expenses while still receiving high-quality care.
Price Differences Create Opportunities to Shop
The updated tool and accompanying infographic continue to show a wide variation in prices for common health services across Colorado and highlight significant cost-saving potential:
- Cardiology Procedures: A cardiovascular stress test can cost anywhere from $280 to $3,130, while an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram) ranges from $720 to $3,080.
- Laboratory Services: A blood test for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level costs between $20 and $210, and a comprehensive metabolic panel ranges from $10 to $340.
- Mental and Behavioral Health Services: The cost of a psychotherapy session lasting an hour varies from $80 to $560, and shock treatment ranges from $600 to $1,460.
- Obstetric/Gynecological Procedures: A transvaginal ultrasound is priced between $140 and $900. A vaginal delivery without sterilization or complications can cost $5,510 or as much as $17,320.
- Physical and Occupational Therapy: Physical therapy to one or more regions can cost from $20 to $190 per unit, while low complexity physical therapy evaluation is between $80 on the low end and $390 on the high end.
- Radiology and Imaging: A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with contrast can cost from $420 to $5,260, while an MRI scan of the brain ranges from $520 to as much as $3,160.
- Surgical, Diagnostic, and Injection Procedures: Hip replacements are between $3,720 and $42,340 while knee replacements are between $2,910 and $39,740.
These variances, in combination with the quality-of-care information in the tool, underscore the necessity for consumers to utilize the Shop for Care tool to find the most cost-effective, high-quality options for their medical needs. This dual focus on cost and quality ensures that users can make choices that provide the best value for their health care dollars.
How to Use the Tool
Consumers with or without insurance can use the tool as a starting point to select a facility that will meet their needs. The prices displayed in the tool represent the combined amount paid by patients and commercial insurance payers for the facility portion of a service or procedure. Actual out-of-pocket costs will vary based on a person’s insurance coverage, deductible, and other benefit details. CIVHC recommends consumers reach out directly to the facility of choice or their insurance company to estimate actual costs for services for their circumstances.
It is also important to note that the prices in the tool represent facility fees only, and do not include bills from doctors, pre-and post-care visits or medications. To understand the prices that doctors and other types of providers bill for health care services, visit our Provider Payment Tool.
How to Access the Shop for Care Tool
The Shop for Care tool is available free of charge, and its user-friendly interface can be accessed on both desktop and mobile devices. Additionally, users can request the underlying data in the tool in an Excel file by filling out this short Google Form.
Report Resources
Additional Resources from CIVHC