California county goes surgery shopping

Editor's Note

California's Santa Barbara County and other government employers are joining private employers in shopping for lower-cost bundled surgical care, even if it means going out of town, the September 1 Kaiser Health News reports.

The voluntary program that includes incentives such as waived copays and deductibles as well as paying travel costs has saved the county nearly 50% on four procedures since the program began last year.

Santa Barbara County has about 4,000 employees and is one of about 400 employers on the West Coast working with Carrum Health--a South San Francisco start-up that negotiates bundled prices and chooses surgeons based on complications and readmissions data.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Retiree Leslie Robinson-Stone and her husband enjoyed a weeklong, all-expenses-paid trip to a luxury resort - all thanks to the county she worked for. The couple also received more than a thousand dollars in spending money and a personal concierge, who attended to their every need.