HARTFORD, CT – Aetna is helping members make better informed decisions about their health with the addition of cost information for eight healthcare professions.

Aetna is adding cost information for audiologists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, optometrists, physical therapists, podiatrists, speech pathologists and speech therapists. The company is also making physician- and facility-specific cost and quality information available to more members by expanding service areas in states such as New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

"In these tough economic times, many people may think about ways to reduce their expenses, such as cutting back on vacations or finding ways to be thrifty at the grocery store, but consumers may not consider the ways they can stretch their budgets by maximizing their health benefits," said Kathy Campbell, Aetna's head of product development.

Aetna's suite of healthcare transparency tools are available through Aetna Navigator, the company's self-service Web site, and include physician-specific price transparency, physician-specific clinical quality and efficiency transparency and medical procedure by facility cost.

Aetna members also have access to quality-of-care information for hospitals nationwide through the tool. Members get a report that helps them compare hospitals and make better decisions about where to access hospital care for themselves and their families.  Members can compare hospitals based on the number of patients treated each year, complication rates, mortality rates and average length of stay for more than 150 procedures and diagnoses. They can also review other hospital quality information such as results from The Leapfrog Group Hospital Survey.