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This article is for informational use only. © 2019 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluate the Quality and Cost of Your Health Care Have you ever wondered how your doctor or health care provider compares to others in your area? The quality and cost of care can vary greatly between facilities and providers. That means that, even if you love your doctor, it might be in your best interest to evaluate their cost and quality rankings to see if you need to make a change. Evaluating Quality of Care When searching for a new restaurant to try, you probably look at customer reviews. You want to know how other people’s overall experiences were, including the service they received and how likely they’d be to go back. If you do this for restaurants, why not do it for your health care? Third-party sites like provide reviews on physicians and hospitals based on patient satisfaction, experience and hospital quality. isn’t the only site you can use to review the quality and patient experiences of facilities and providers, though. Your insurance provider may have a website that lets you search for doctors, clinics and hospitals in your area. You can also search for hospital rankings with Medicare’s Hospital Compare website function. Reviewing the quality rankings of your doctor or health care facility can help you determine if you’re receiving the best care possible in your area. You can also use this information to make informed decisions about where to obtain services for future medical procedures or surgeries. Evaluating the Cost of Your Care You probably already know how price comparison shopping can help you keep your health care costs low. However, many people overlook the importance of researching how the cost of their primary care doctor or local facilities varies. While you may not be able to get an accurate quote on pricing information for every doctor or facility in your area, you should be able to find out if a certain doctor’s costs are below, at or above average costs in your area. What’s Next? Knowing where your doctor or local hospital compares to others in your area in terms of pricing and quality of care empowers you to make wise health care decisions. These decisions can play a huge role in staying healthy and keeping your health care costs as low as possible.