Think of it as a tow truck for people:  The Ambulance.

If you've ever been in an accident that disabled your vehicle, you know it's not the best time to negotiate with the tow truck driver. But how do you know when you're going to be in a wreck? The answer to this conundrum is your AAA membership, or the "Roadside Assistance Coverage" of your favorite Auto Insurance carrier. Mine is State Farm (you know, Jake???), and they're excellent—for about $7 a year.

There are three main scenarios in which an ambulance might be needed, and in which your discretion as a consumer can come into play. First is in the home, workplace, family gathering, restaurant, etc. This will usually involve a call to "911" and fortunately in the vast majority of cases the city or county fire department (or EMS Service) will respond. You're subsidizing them with your property, sales, and business taxes, so what they charge for the service is likely to be fairly reasonable.

The second is...well, we'll come back to scenario #2.

The third event is the return from the hospital or medical provider. I have personally arranged this on behalf of a loved one (who cannot merely ride home in the car), without paying much if any attention at all to what company, or entity, is dispatched. This is precisely where DOC$ can re-orient the landscape of some parts of the Healthcare economy.

In the mock-up of our comparative price-grid shown in the above image for comparable short trips, we would all OBVIOUSLY want to instruct the provider's representative (nurse, caseworker, social worker, or other provider's admin personnel) to "Please use City EMS" as the grid shows there is a huge price disparity between ambulance companies. And trust the numbers—they're realistic.

Here's where DOC$ comes in. We are working toward the day when hundreds—or thousands—of consumers in every community will use our platform to report what they were charged for services like this, and many, many other would-be competitive medical services—imaging, scans and other tests, anesthesiology, various therapy—you get the idea. The price transparency of published rates ALWAYS helps the consumer—even in the Healthcare arena. Think of yourself as "Jake." From among all those "tow truck drivers for people" will emerge scores of smart and thrifty operators who will WANT your business.

Now, let's return to "scenario #2":  You're out there, something happens, and you need an ambulance. Right now, just like with the tow-truck driver, you have little negotiating power. You're in need, and at their mercy. The discretion exercised by consumers in cases like scenario #3 above, aided by DOC$ web Healthcare Shopping Guide, will bring prices in line through the application of transparency and its ever-welcome companion, competition. Even when "Jake" isn't around.