JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Physician practice consolidation could promote higher-quality care but may also create greater economic market power that could lead to higher prices for physician services. ⋯ More competition among physicians is related to lower prices paid by private PPOs for office visits. These results may inform work on policies that influence practice competition.
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Recent governmental and private initiatives have sought to reduce health care costs by making health care prices more transparent. ⋯ Use of price transparency information was associated with lower total claims payments for common medical services. The magnitude of the difference was largest for advanced imaging services and smallest for clinical office visits. Patient access to pricing information before obtaining clinical services may result in lower overall payments made for clinical care.