The Blue Distinction national transparency demonstration focuses on the most effective ways of sharing information with consumers to help them learn about absolute and relative healthcare costs.

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are participating in the demonstration, making this information available across the country in urban, suburban and rural communities. Participating health insurance plans will share cost data with consumers in an open-architecture format. Any Blue members residing in a demonstration market will have access to the affordability information offered by participating local plans.

A comprehensive, in-depth evaluation will be conducted by the participating Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with support from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association to determine what information and resources consumers find most useful in understanding costs and putting their knowledge into action.

Blue Distinction National Transparency Demonstration - To view more detailed information about the Blue Distinction national transparency demonstration.

1. Hospital Comparison Tool - The Hospital Comparison Tool lets Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members research and compare individual hospitals outcome data on specific diagnoses and procedures. You can use this information to evaluate and select hospitals that best meet your needs.
2. Treatment Cost Advisor^TM - The Treatment Cost Advisor allows members to estimate the cost of care for common health care services (accessed by logging into Blue Access for Members).
3. BlueCompare for Physicians and Professional Providers - Using Provider Finder^®, consumers can obtain affordability and evidence based performance information on physicians and professional providers in the BlueChoice^® and BlueChoice Solutions networks.
4. BlueCompare for Hospitals - Using Provider Finder^®, consumers can obtain affordability and performance information on general acute care hospitals in the BlueChoice and BlueChoice Solutions networks.
5. Texas PricePoint  - Texas PricePoint is sponsored by the Texas Hospital Association, an Austin-based nonprofit statewide trade association representing hospitals and health systems. This site was created to provide basic demographic, quality and charge information on Texas hospitals and to promote consumer/hospital interaction.