Vālenz Announces Strategic Partnership with Turquoise Health
Database of negotiated hospital rates elevates consumer transparency and choice
PHOENIX, Ariz. (April 26, 2021) — Vālenz® announced today a partnership with Turquoise Health, a software solutions company that facilitates consumer transparency through its newly launched platform listing payer-negotiated hospital rates.
With new price transparency regulations requiring hospitals to share previously undisclosed rates for many services, Turquoise Health has created the first comparison engine for consumers to make cost-effective decisions about their care.
With full access to Turquoise Health’s database of hospital rates, Valenz will incorporate the comparison information into its concierge-level navigation program and self-service member portal. Valenz also will utilize the data to build highly efficient networks that drive quality care and customer satisfaction alongside cost savings.
“Our partnership with Turquoise Health aligns with our data-driven ecosystem and helps us take a significant step toward providing the transparency our clients and their members need,” said Rob Gelb, CEO of Valenz. “Not only can we share the cost structure of hospital services to help guide members’ decisions, but we can also help them gauge the quality of the service. It’s a key component of the Valenz promise to assure smarter, better, faster healthcare.”
As of Jan. 1, 2021, the federal rule requires hospitals to publish a machine-readable file listing their negotiated payment rates for hundreds of medical procedures, as well as a website where consumers can search for services and prices. Initial compliance has been mixed, with reports of some hospitals blocking their pricing from showing up on web searches – making the Turquoise Health platform all the more valuable in elevating transparency.
CEO Chris Severn says its database currently has more than 2,000 verified rates, and the list continues to grow as Turquoise painstakingly combs through and verifies hospital pricing data.
“This is just the beginning of making hospital billing more clear and patient-friendly,” Severn said. “Using both public price rates data and Turquoise participating provider data, we are showing there is a market for transparency in healthcare. We help put negotiating power where it belongs — in the hands of the consumer.”
About Valenz
Vālenz® enables self-insured employers to make better decisions that control costs across the life of a claim while empowering their members to lead strong, vigorous and healthy lives. Valenz connects cost and quality data from comprehensive care management services (Valenz Care), high-value provider networks (Valenz Access), claim flow management (Valenz Claim), complete bill review (Valenz ProteKHt), and solutions for payment integrity, revenue cycle management and eligibility compliance (Valenz Assurance) for smarter, better, faster healthcare. More information is available at valenzhealth.com. Valenz is backed by Great Point Partners.
About Turquoise Health
Turquoise Health launched in 2020 with a vision to simplify healthcare reimbursement through price transparency. CTO Adam Geitgey, formerly a Director of Engineering at Groupon, brings deep consumer marketplace experience to the healthcare sector. Turquoise invites providers and payers to become Turquoise Verified partners. Using the software suite, organizations create “price certainty” for patients while easing claims adjudication on the back end. Turquoise already counts major revenue cycle partners and hospital systems as satisfied clients. To learn more, visit turquoise.health or email info@turquoise.health.
