Wisconsin is a national leader in health care transparency, being one of the first states in the nation to develop online resources to voluntarily share information that will help consumers compare hospital charges.

Today, the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) announced the release of its newest version of PricePoint www.wipricepoint.org), an online resource that allows consumers to compare hospital-specific charges and other financial data associated with the care provided for a particular procedure or condition in Wisconsin hospitals and Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers.

The latest version of PricePoint improves the user experience by using a series of questions to gather important information about their health care situation, including whether or not they have insurance. The tool then provides users with the estimated charges for services that are typically associated with conditions or treatments similar to their own.

PricePoint encourages consumers to use the information as a starting point for an informed discussion with the hospital, their doctors and their insurance company.  It emphasizes that the insurance company is the best source for information on out-of-pocket costs to satisfy deductibles and co-pays. Read the full story here.