Doctors group posts prices online

A Southern California physicians group has become one of the first and largest health organizations in the nation to make prices for procedures easily available to the public.

HealthCare Partners put an itemized price list on its Web site last week, with little fanfare.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Robert Margolis, a founding physician and chief executive of the medical group, said it felt "like the right thing to do."

The page can be accessed easily by clicking on "fees for basic services."

The move was spurred in part by the growth of walk-in clinics at malls and Wal Marts that provide simple medical services like vaccines and ultrasounds and make no secret of their prices.

Torrance-based HealthCare Partners serves more than 500,000 patients.