PULLMAN — The president and founder of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories said SEL has partnered with Pullman Regional Hospital to help it be more transparent with health care costs.
“Health care is probably the only thing that we buy without knowing what the price is,” Edmund O. Scwheitzer said Tuesday during a monthly Pullman Chamber of Commerce General Membership Luncheon. “It’s hard to find out.”
Schweitzer said he met with Pullman hospital CEO Scott Adams and CFO Steve Febus and suggested PRH put the prices of its procedures on its website for patients to view. Schweitzer said the hospital was able to begin implementing this request in less than 60 days.
“Here we are, leading in our way, in our community right here in Pullman, Wash., in (zip code) 99163 on taking steps to health care transparency,” he said.
On the PRH website, the hospital says it is working with SEL to “develop a patient-driven, trial program to share hospital costs at the local level and help patients be more knowledgeable about what they might pay for hospital items and services.”
Schweitzer also used his time Tuesday to advocate for free enterprise.
He said many obstacles, such as the difficulties of getting a business license or hiring employees, prevent people from starting their own business.
He said the community should do as much as it can to “unleash the spirit of free enterprise.” Schweitzer credited the Pullman Chamber of Commerce for offering free services to foster entrepreneurship locally.
He said promoting free enterprise will attract more people to make their living in Pullman.
“We have lots of smart young people who choose to go to school at Washington State University, who come over here, and why shouldn’t more of them stay and live, work and raise their families right here, next to you and me?” he said.
Schweitzer also spoke about the planned SEL Event Center that is scheduled to be completed by spring of 2021. The new event center, at 80,000 square feet, will be four times larger than the current event center and it will be located at the southeast portion of the SEL Pullman campus.
