Consumerism and Price Transparency: How It Affects ASCs

Earlier this year, Steven Brill shook the healthcare industry with his article in TIME. It put heavy pressure on hospitals and health systems to explain their procedures, but the call for price transparency is hitting the outpatient sector as well.

At the 20th Annual Ambulatory Surgery Centers Conference in Chicago on Oct. 24, Surgical Notes President and CEO Jeff Blankinship moderated a session featuring Bud Brooks, vice president of development at Surgery Center Network, and Beth Berger, national director of healthcare practice at Gallagher Healthcare on price transparency and the rise of consumerism in healthcare.

Hospital outpatient departments are considerably more expensive than ASCs. However, Mr. Brooks said many people just assume the hospital is the place to go for care, despite the fact ASCs have high quality rates and cheaper prices.

"Consumers have no idea how much healthcare costs," Mr. Brooks said. "The TIME article was a catalyst. There's just no rationale for a lot of the pricing we see form providers across the country."

ASCs can benefit from this rise of consumerism, Mr. Blankinship said. He gave the example of Keith Smith, MD, who runs the Surgery Center of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. Dr. Smith's ASC posts the prices of every procedure, giving potential patients information upfront to choose the ASC over a higher-priced alternative.

To take part in this movement, ASCs have to get onboard with social media, Ms. Berger said. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Instagram — it may seem daunting to manage the plethora of accounts, but it's the best way to reach patients today, she said.

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