Price-posting initiative raises concerns about implementation

President Bush's executive order also calls for health IT use by federal agencies, and that has doctors wondering who will pay for it.

By Beth Wilson, AMNews correspondent. Sept. 11, 2006.

Physicians see President Bush's order that federal agencies begin publicly disclosing health care price and quality data and adopting interoperable information technology as part of a larger push toward "transparency."

While many doctors support the intentions, issues of funding and execution must be addressed before the government's effort and any private initiatives can succeed, they said.

Although patients in federal health programs, such as Medicare, aren't able to shop around for doctors based on price because the government sets fees, the White House sees the effort as leading by example.

"Health care policy ought to be aimed at bolstering the consumer, empowering individuals to be responsible for health care decisions," Bush said when he announced his directive Aug. 22.

Like several other medical groups, the American College of Physicians' response to the executive order is "generally positive," said Lynne Kirk, MD, the college's president. "We think things need to move in this direction."

The American Medical Association also is on record supporting transparency. The Association already has policy calling on physicians, hospitals and others to post their fees for patients to see. But the AMA says true health care cost transparency also should contain charges set by health plans.

"Today's executive order is a step toward increased price transparency in the health care system," said Edward L. Langston, MD, chair-elect of the AMA Board of Trustees. "However, gone are the days when a doctor posts fees and patients pay the doctor directly.