Submitted by the Senate Press Office

ATLANTA — A new state Web site gives Georgians access to the latest health care quality, cost and health education information.

In response to 2007 legislation championed by state Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and after much hard work, the Department of Community Health (DCH) announced the launch of GeorgiaHealthInfo.gov Monday as a resource to help Georgians make educated health decisions.

Hill, a leading state health care reform advocate, passed the legislation giving Georgians access to both price and quality information about health care and prescription drug prices. Working as a member of the Department of Community Health’s (DCH) Health Information Technology and Transparency (HITT) Advisory Board, Hill helped guide the Web site’s core design. The HITT Board has used Hill’s experience and track record of health care improvement initiatives in its effort to establish a statewide strategy to make health information transparent and readily available.

“Every Georgian has the right to know the quality and costs of health care. This Web site is an exciting step toward making health care more accessible and affordable by making available information like prescription drug prices plus easy access to the quality of care provided in hospitals and surgery centers.” said Hill. “Every Georgian needs to know about this Web site so they can make the best informed decision as they seek health care for their families.”

The Web site is being launched in two phases during 2009, with the first phase accessible now. It enables a person to search pharmacies by zip code to determine the best price for prescription drugs, offers quality assessments for medical facilities and provides easy access to the Mayo Clinic’s vast health education database. The Mayo database gives users access to prevention, wellness and disease management information plus cost and quality analysis for health care plans, prescription drugs, local hospitals and outpatient procedures. In addition, an online mapping tool is offered to help patients find a medical provider’s location and driving directions.

The second phase of the Web site will include extensive provider profile data and user support for deciding on long-term care options. Both phases of the Web site will be fully operational by this summer.

For general questions about GeorgiaHealthInfo.gov, call the DCH Office of Communications at (404) 657-9918. For more specific questions, go to http://georgiahealthinfo.gov/cms/contact_us.