Comparison shopping for better health care

Tania Anderson, who blogs about shopping for the Washington Post, recently wrote about looking not for a new car or a new house or a new gas grill but a new doctor. That reflects a growing trend that, appropriately I think, looks at health care as a consumer issue, not just a medical one.

Of course, as we've extensively covered, being able to shop around for a new doctor is a luxury that millions of Americans—those without adequate health care coverage—simply don't have. And even if you do, the choice is often limited by where you live, who's in your health care plan—and the paucity of reliable information out there about how doctors stack up against each other.

Still, it is becoming a little easier to take a comparison shopping attitude toward health care. For example, in May we launched a new online tool that can help you make intelligent distinctions about the hospitals in your area. And the Department of Health and Human Services' Hospital Compare website provides additional information.

Data on individual physicians is harder to come by, in part because many docs remain resistant to the idea of sharing relevant information. But the smarter ones see the writing on the wall and now embrace proactive patients who aren’t afraid to ask questions that were once taboo in the doctor’s office. Like what their success—and complications rates are for a given procedure, and how long patients typically have to wait in the office—or for an answer to their emailed question. In fact, your doctor's willingness to email with you is one factor you should consider when looking around for a new doctor.

—Joel Keehn, senior health editor

Read more on what to look for when hunting for a new doctor (subscribers only) and on how to check up on your doctor (free).