CHAPEL HILL – Seeking to bring more transparency to healthcare costs and to help patients needing care get a better handle on costs, UNC Health is rolling out today a new online calculator.
“We understand the importance of price transparency in health care,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, UNC Health’s CEO, in the announcement. “This estimator is about improving our patients’ experience and giving them more control in managing their health.”
The estimator covers “many services where patients have a choice of providers and typically schedule in advance,” UNC Health noted. It can be used by people who do not have health insurance and covers facility as well as professional fees provided by UNC Health providers.
Right now the estimator’s coverage includes the Triangle but will be expanded, UNC Health added.
Estimates can be made for more than 50 services such as cardiology, orthopedics and some office visits.
The estimator is integrated with a patient’s account and is designed to atuomatically apply insurance benefits, UNC Health said.
A screen shot from UNC Health’s estimator
The estimator is available through the My UNC Chart mobile app or web site (https://myuncchart.org/)
