Three years ago, Dr. Keith Smith, co-founder and managing partner of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma, took an initiative that would only be considered radical in the health care industry: He posted online a list of prices for 112 common surgical procedures. The 51-year-old Smith, a self-described libertarian, and his business partner, Dr. Steve Lantier, founded the Surgery Center 15 years ago, after they became disillusioned with the way patients were treated at St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, where the two men worked as anesthesiologists. In 1997, Smith and Lantier bought the shell of a former surgical center with the aim of creating a for-profit facility that could deliver first-rate care at a fraction of what traditional hospitals charge….
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For those of us old enough, this article sure brings back great memories of the pre-era times of employer paid health insurance — or health insurance at all for many locations in america. Everybodys health needs taken care of at very reasonable prices and means of payment or barter. In applicable instances the community at large jumped into to cover a portion or all of a catastrophic health event.