Amino, a health data company, launched a new tool that allows healthcare consumers access to expanded pricing data, based on physician, procedure and insurance company, according to a USA Today report.
Here are five key notes:
1. The information is based on billions of medical insurance claims.
2. The tool's data covers 550,000 physicians, 49 procedures and 129 insurance companies.
3. In the push toward price transparency, Amino's tool is an "important first step," noted Neel Shah, MD, founder of Costs of Care, a nonprofit.
4. While Amino aims to give users as accurate a picture as possible regarding healthcare costs, its estimates can vary widely.
5. Amino CEO and Co-Founder David Vivero says that "the goal is to give [users] 'a leg up' when they visit their doctor's office," according to the report.