Our Story
After experiencing the frustration of unexpected medical bills firsthand, we set out to build a tool that helps patients understand healthcare costs before receiving treatment. We believe price transparency is a fundamental right for every healthcare consumer — not just those with expensive insurance brokers or healthcare advocates on speed dial.
MedCompare aggregates publicly available hospital price transparency data, normalizes it into a searchable format, and puts it in front of patients for free. No login. No paywall. No catch.
What We Do
We collect hospital price transparency files published under the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule and process them into a consistent, searchable database. Our platform helps you:
- Compare cash prices across multiple hospitals in your state
- Understand how much prices vary for the same procedure
- Identify the lowest-cost option before scheduling care
- Plan for medical expenses with real numbers
- Access self-pay and cash prices that hospitals are required to publish
What We Cover
Our database includes thousands of cash prices across these categories:
Labs & Tests — Blood work, panels, cultures, and diagnostics
Imaging — CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, ultrasounds, mammograms
Emergency — ER visits, urgent care, observation services
Surgery — Surgical procedures, repairs, and operations
Cardiovascular — Heart tests, monitoring, cardiac procedures
Orthopedics — Bone, joint, and musculoskeletal procedures
Mental Health — Psychiatry and therapy services
Office Visits — Consultations and evaluation services
Why Some Hospitals or Prices May Be Missing
Since 2021, hospitals have been required by federal law (the Hospital Price Transparency Rule) to publish their prices. But compliance is uneven — there's no single standard for how hospitals format or publish this data.
- → Some hospitals publish complete, well-structured data files
- → Others use formats that are difficult to parse reliably
- → Some hospitals still don't fully comply with the law
We can only show what hospitals make available. We're continuously expanding coverage as more data becomes accessible.
Our Commitment
MedCompare is and will remain free to use. We don't sell your data. We don't require accounts. We don't favor any hospital or health system. Our only goal is to put accurate, useful price information in the hands of patients who need it.
Pricing data is sourced directly from hospital-published transparency files and refreshed regularly to reflect current prices.
A Note on Our Advertising
MedCompare is supported by advertising through Google AdSense. Ads are clearly labeled and only loaded with your explicit consent via the cookie banner. We do not accept paid placement from hospitals, insurers, or healthcare companies, and advertisers have no influence over our data or rankings.
Get in Touch
Have feedback, found a data error, or want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you — especially if you spot pricing data that looks off. Reach us at info@medcompare.co.