From Georgia's Governor, Sonny Perdue

Dear Friends:

The people of Georgia deserve the highest quality health care available. My administration is dedicated to only the best healthcare for the citizens of Georgia. Our hospitals admit more than one million patients each and every year, and they too are dedicated to making sure they provide you, the patient, with the highest quality treatment. We see providers and stakeholders working together every day to bring the best possible health care to every corner of our state.

As you are being asked to make informed health care decisions for you or your family, it is important to have information regarding the costs and the quality of the services you may need.

GAHospitalPriceCheck.org will help provide “transparent” information to Georgia consumers so that you may understand better hospital and healthcare costs. This web tool will also inform and empower you as a health care consumer regarding aspects of personal health, such as how to select a hospital, what to do if you are to be hospitalized and how to select a physician if you don’t already have one assigned by your health plan.

My 2005 plan to modernize Medicaid in Georgia, called for transparency in health care to give consumers the information they need to select providers and services based on cost and quality. I am happy to further support such activities through the creation of the Health Information Technology and Transparency Advisory Board which will promote the exchange of secure, confidential information necessary for providers to also make informed decisions regarding the best care for individual patients. I commend our hospitals for taking this step toward making Georgia one of first states to provide such information.

I challenge the hospitals to continue their on-going quest for improving the quality of care and to expand their efforts to work with all stakeholders to provide better care at a lower cost for all the people of Georgia through the appropriate sharing of information.

Governor for the Citizens of Georgia.

On August 22, 2006, President Bush signed an executive order to “Help increase the transparency of America’s health care system - Empowering Americans to find better value and better care.”

Transparency in the health care marketplace is essential. Increased transparency in Georgia’s healthcare industry will help and ensure care providers will have the information necessary to make informed decisions as they treat patients.