Health insurer Cigna Corp. is launching an online tool that will enable doctors and hospitals to inform Cigna enrollees in advance of treatment how much they're likely to pay in out-of-pocket costs.
The tool, known as the Cigna Cost of Care Estimator, will be launched in April. It helps in-network healthcare providers to estimate how much of the cost Cigna will pay, and what the patient will owe. It factors in deductibles and co-payments specific to the patient's plan as well as funds that can be tapped, such as money in flexible spending accounts.
Pfizer has announced that it will start reporting payments to doctors, part of the growing trend of transparency around the financial ties between doctors and industry. Sen. Chuck Grassley has been looking into undisclosed payments and pushing a bill that would require broad disclosures from industry, as well. But Grassley's Physician Payment Sunshine Act would be still more stringent than the companies' self-imposed disclosure policies, at least in a few respects, according to this Wall Street Journal Health Blog posting.
The Saint Mary's Hospital Foundation of Michigan is sending medical supplies to hospitals in third-world countries, thanks to a partnership and the help of some local volunteers. The foundation works with Global Links in Pittsburgh, which distributes the supplies to hospitals in the developing nations. Global Links partners with many U.S. hospitals to redirect materials and supplies to public health improvement efforts throughout the world.
Doctors at several state hospitals launched a 48-hour walkout this week in protest of the Health Ministry's changes to a collective labor agreement. The doctors say the agreement they signed was altered before being included in a bill sent to Parliament. They claim that the final document proposes a smaller base salary increase and does not include a proposal to hire 2,500 new doctors by 2010, as was originally agreed to.
The Korean Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs will soon promote the country as a prime medical tourism destination. Officials are looking to attract at least 100,000 foreign medical tourists by 2012. In May, the ministry will designate 5% of beds—just over 2,000—in Korean hospitals for foreign patients.
Foreigners seeking more affordable medical care are increasingly traveling to Turkey. Last year, the country's medical tourism numbers increased about 40% over 2007—150,000 foreigners sought medical treatment in Turkey in 2007, while this number rose to 200,000 in 2008. Health officials there say this can be attributed to the current global economic crisis.