Marathon Health and Healthcarebluebook.com Join Forces to Help Employers Reduce Healthcare Costs
January 12, 2010, Washington, DC. – Marathon Health and Healthcarebluebook.com today announced a co-marketing agreement to bring new consumer education and healthcare price transparency tools to employers with consumer-directed health plans (CDHP) or high deductible health plans (HDHP).
The joint offering extends Marathon Health’s onsite clinic capabilities by helping employees with significant out of pocket expenses make informed, cost-conscious decisions on treatment. Both onsite clinicians and employees will have access to the Healthcare Blue Book’s consumer education and healthcare price transparency tool. Marathon Health clinic patients can access the Blue Book tool directly from the Marathon eHealth Portal, or work with their onsite clinician to consider treatment options, understand out of pocket costs, and make smarter, more affordable treatment choices when seeking care outside the clinic setting.
“Price shopping for healthcare services can be time-consuming, and frustrating,” said Marathon Health CEO Jerry Ford. “Our co-marketing agreement with Healthcare Blue Book will help us provide a virtual ‘safety net’ for the employees with high deductible plans who require greater access to cost and care details. This addition to our technology platform will ensure our patients have the information they need when making care decisions.”
The relationship enhances Marathon Health’s value proposition for employers who offer CDHPs by bringing timely consumer decision support to the point of care. The joint offering fills a recognized gap in employers’ consumer toolset and helps both employee and employer save money through better use of their existing provider options.
“Marathon Health and Healthcarebluebook.com are innovative companies creating new models for delivering high-quality healthcare at a fair price,” said Healthcarebluebook.com CEO, Dr. Jeffrey Rice. “Joining forces will help us create systems that can benefit employers and employees through improved access to high-quality, cost-effective care.”
About the Healthcare Blue Book
Healthcarebluebook.com, headquartered in Nashville, TN, is a healthcare pricing tool that helps consumers and companies determine what fair prices are for healthcare services and treatments in their markets. The www.healthcarebluebook.com web site can be customized to employer needs by offering information that allows employees to identify lower cost and high-quality providers within their existing employer-sponsored health plan.