New Partnership Combines Transparent Pricing with Effective Practice Management
SOLANA BEACH, Calif., Sept. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- PriceDoc.com, a free, transparent health care pricing service for patients, announced today it has signed a joint venture agreement with Quality Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: QSII), a developer and provider of computer-based practice management, patient records and revenue cycle management solutions for physicians, dentists and small hospitals. The partnership will incorporate PriceDoc's online search marketing tool directly into the QSI Dental solution as well as the NextGen® Practice Management system from NextGen Healthcare, a subsidiary of QSI. The NextGen® Practice Management system manages appointments, billing and other administrative processes for more than 60,000 physicians and dentists around the country.
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Through the partnership, patients who are uninsured, underinsured or seeking self-pay elective procedures can compare and negotiate prices for health care procedures or services directly on PriceDoc.com. In addition, providers using QSI Dental and NextGen Practice Management who promote their services and prices on PriceDoc, will gain access to "cash-paying" patients, and enable more efficient delivery of health care services by optimizing their office scheduling, securing fees-for-service, and offering cash payments that reduce paperwork and overhead costs.
As 61 percent of U.S. adults currently use online resources to seek health care information, patients are eager to understand the cost of medical treatments and services available in their community(1). Since expanding nationally in late 2009, PriceDoc.com has helped patients search more than 1.5 million medical procedures and find quality health care at affordable prices. With 3,850 providers already listed on PriceDoc.com, patients can identify local providers, review credentials and patient referrals, and find competitive pricing for high-quality health care.
"Through our partnership with PriceDoc.com, QSI now offers a new way to deliver revenue to our providers," said Patrick B. Cline, president of Quality Systems, Inc. "For years we've proven a return on investment to clients through practice management efficiencies. Now, we can incorporate a proactive marketing opportunity as well."
The new PriceDoc.com feature comes at no cost to QSI Dental and NextGen Practice Management clients and will be available starting in early fall 2010. Providers can choose to post their cash-based fees and procedures, credentials, training, and services, as well as give patients the opportunity to make an offer or name their own price. A marketing processing fee will be paid to PriceDoc and QSI following completion of the procedure by the provider. This new model creates a level of transparency in medical pricing unmatched in the industry.
"We're excited to be working with QSI to enhance their practice management technology with an online search marketing component," said Patrick Bradley, president of PriceDoc. "By integrating our technologies, doctors and dentists now have a seamless system in which patients can research providers, negotiate prices directly with doctors, and produce a coupon for the agreed-upon fee on one easy-to-use site."
About PriceDoc.com
PriceDoc.com is a free consumer service that enables greater access to affordable medical, dental and other health care procedures. Through PriceDoc.com's patented technology, health care consumers who are uninsured, underinsured or seeking elective procedures can compare and negotiate prices for health care procedures or services in their area. PriceDoc.com launched nationally in November 2009. Learn more at: http://www.PriceDoc.com
About Quality Systems, Inc.
Irvine, Calif.-based Quality Systems, Inc. and its NextGen Healthcare subsidiary develop and market computer-based practice management, electronic health records and revenue cycle management applications as well as connectivity products and services for medical and dental group practices and small hospitals. Visit www.qsii.com and www.nextgen.com for additional information.
(1)Pew Research Center, "61% of American adults look online for health information." June 11, 2009. http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2009/The-Social-Life-of-Health-Information.aspx
SOURCE PriceDoc.com