New healthcare service offers more options
Scot Woolley, CEO and Founder of CarePilot
By Amy Shanahan, photo courtesy of Scot Woolley
Castle Pines resident Scot Woolley recognized a problem in the healthcare system and decided to fix it himself. CarePilot, based in the Denver Tech Center, is an internet-based company which provides an online marketplace for healthcare services, and allows consumers to search and compare providers, pricing and location.
Woolley is a Colorado native who spent his childhood in Surrey Ridge. He later worked in the radiology industry, allowing him to see the discrepancy in pricing between similar healthcare providers.
“A person might go to a hospital and pay $3,500 for an MRI simply because they didn’t realize there was an outpatient facility across the street that would have charged $600 for the same service on a similar piece of equipment, with the same doctor reading the scan,” stated Woolley.
CarePilot allows providers to post their open appointments on an interactive calendar, and offer consumers competitive pricing based on nationally published Blue Book information. Providers may also choose to lower prices further on same day or next day appointments. According to Woolley, consumers save 20 to 30 percent on the services, while the provider increases its overall productivity and facility utilization. Currently CarePilot has approximately 600 providers signed up in the south Denver region.
The benefits for consumers with this system are enormous. Currently, one-third of Coloradoans are either under-insured or non-insured, and they are now able to compare services, pricing and location, and schedule appointments that suit them. Consumers who are insured may still book appointments and bill their insurance companies after completion of the service. This is particularly useful for consumers with high deductibles, or those choosing elective procedures not typically covered by insurance plans.
With approximately 800 consumers using this service, Woolley looks forward to expanding his provider offerings to include all of Colorado in the near future. “We’re excited about healthcare information technology, especially in this economic climate,” remarked Woolley. “This allows consumers to save money just like in all other aspects of their lives.”
CarePilot offers a wide variety of healthcare services including radiology, dermatology, dentistry, chiropractic, plastic surgery and physical therapy, among others. To learn more about CarePilot, visit www.carepilot.com.
