Healthcare Group Advertises Medical Fees

May 28, 01:46 AM

Current Headlines: The largest private physician practice in California has made prices for its medical procedures freely available to consumers by posting them on the Internet.

HealthCare Partners Medical Group, based in Torrance, is one of the first doctor groups in the United States -- and possibly the largest -- to make its prices publicly available, The Los Angeles Times reported.

HealthCare Partners serves more than 500,000 patients. Its decision goes against the traditional reluctance by healthcare providers to allow consumers to compare prices for such services as chest X-rays, baby vaccinations and Pap smears, the newspaper said.

Visitors to HealthCare Partners' Web site can learn that a chest X-ray costs $61, while a physical examination for a middle-age patient runs anywhere from $140 to $160.

The group's new policy could put competitive pressure on other physicians groups to follow suit, some experts said.

It feels like the right thing to do, said Robert Margolis, a founding physician and chief executive of HealthCare partners.

However, the Times reported the move was in part a response to the growing popularity of walk-in medical clinics at drugstore chains and discount retailers, where prices for many procedures and treatments are prominently posted.