Web Site Offers Comparison Shopping For Surgery Costs

SAN FRANCISCO -- When many people shop for a car, they do their homework and compare prices. But San Francisco television station KNTV reported that a company is now offering comparison shopping for something closer to the heart -- surgery.

Vimo, a company based in Mountain View, Calif., offers comparison shopping. The cost for the same surgery may differ by thousands of dollars depending on the hospital at which it is performed.

Now that San Jeev Luthra has had both knees replaced, tackling stairs is no problem.

Finding out how much his surgery was going to cost, however, was difficult.

"I had no idea if my knee replacement was going to be $5,000, $50,000, $200,000," Luthra said.

Luthra had insurance but knew he would still be responsible for part of the bill and wanted to plan for it, he said.

He called his insurance company for a ball-park figure but struck out.

So he called several Bay Area hospitals, but not one could give him a rough estimate, Luthra said.

Luthra said he wished he'd known about Vimo's Web site.

Vimo.com provides estimated costs for surgery at hospitals across the nation. The site gives both the list price and the cost insurance companies negotiate.

When the station asked Luthra to compare the price he paid at Stanford Hospital with the Web site's estimate, Luthra said he thought the Web site was "very accurate."

Vimo.com also offers a doctor-finding service and provides information about insurance plan selection.