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A better way to compare

Editor’s Note: The following article appeared in the July 2007 issue of Texas Innovator.

Texans can now shop for hospital care online. Texas Price Point allows consumers to view and compare prices of the most common inpatient hospital services. The new Web site, www.txpricepoint.org, launched by the Texas Hospital Association (THA), also has links to other health care data and information on all Texas hospitals.

The information can help consumers sort through options offered by hospitals, physicians and insurance companies, according to THA’s Amanda Engler. Texans spend an average of $9,100 annually on health insurance.

The data comes from information hospitals were already reporting to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Engler said, and the site consolidates the information on one site. So far, response has been good.

“Our site is generating an average of about 500 hits per week now,” she said. “During the first couple of weeks after the launch, the average was more than 350 per day.”

For more information contact Amanda Engler, (512) 465-1026.