Price Data Solicitation Grant: The Impact of a Customized Price Transparency Tool on Consumer Behavior

The researchers evaluated a customized price transparency tool offered by a large national insurer. They used enrollment, claims and web utilization data from the insurer and focus on a broad range of clinical conditions in order to (1) identify the salient characteristics of tool users; and (2) estimate the impact of tool availability on provider choice, service utilization, and costs. The goal of this project was to inform ongoing and future price transparency policies, including the use of consumer information tools.

This project was funded as part of the Foundation’s solicitation “Understanding the Use and Impact of Price Data in Health Care,” which supports empirical research studies that contribute to the knowledge base in this area, with the goal of providing reliable and generalizable evidence to inform policymakers and delivery system participants and to help accelerate progress toward using price information effectively.