Humana Enhances Quality Measurement Data on Hospitals to Include Cost Information

Humana Enhances Quality Measurement Data on Hospitals to Include Cost Information

Company's online Compare Hospital tool now shows estimated out-of-pocket expenses associated with inpatient procedures

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Humana Inc. (NYSE:HUM) announced today that in addition to quality measures already available through its online Compare Hospital tool, the company is adding out-of-pocket cost data as a consumer-focused enhancement.

Humana is now including an estimate of members' out-of-pocket costs for the diagnosis and treatment of covered procedures. The information is available through the member's secured personal home page, MyHumana.com. The Compare Hospital tool will compare costs for up to five different hospitals for the same procedure. The tool is powered by HealthShare Technology and updated annually.

Humana members already can access information about hospital performance for a variety of conditions, diagnoses and treatments ranging from maternity services to chest pain.

"Pricing information for health care services has historically not been readily accessible to consumers," said Beth Bierbower, vice president of product innovation for Humana. "We want health care expenses to be more transparent to consumers and are giving them cost information so they can make informed decisions for themselves as they do in other aspects of their purchasing lives."

The newly added cost comparison is an enhancement of the capabilities Humana members have had through the Compare Hospital tool to select a diagnosis, treatment and procedure in order to compare hospitals based on the number of procedures performed, complication rates, lengths-of-stay and mortality rates.

"The ability of Humana members to use the Compare Hospital tool to access out-of-pocket expenses gives them a planning mechanism to determine what they can expect to pay based on the benefit coverage they have," Bierbower added.

About Humana

Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the nation's largest publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 7 million medical members located primarily in 15 states and Puerto Rico. Humana offers coordinated health insurance coverage and related services -- through traditional and Internet-based plans -- to employer groups, government-sponsored plans, and individuals.

Over its 44-history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer portfolio.

More information regarding Humana is available via the Internet at http://www.humana.com/ including:

-- Annual report to stockholders;
-- Securities and Exchange Commission filings;
-- Most recent investor conference presentation;
-- Quarterly earnings press releases;
-- Audio archive of most recent earnings release conference call;
-- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates,
times, and access number, as well as planned participation in investor
conferences);
-- Corporate Governance Information.


Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030425/HUMANALOGO
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PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Humana Inc.

CONTACT: Mary Sellers of Humana Corporate Communications,
+1-502-580-3689, or msellers1@humana.com

Web site: http://www.humana.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/423125.html


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