MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – New Hampshire businesses agreed Friday to support a national program aimed at improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care by allowing employees to compare health care providers.

At a meeting in Manchester with Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, the businesses pledged to provide quality and price information about doctors, hospitals and other medical providers for employees in their health insurance programs.

The employers include hospitals in Laconia, Franklin, Nashua, Dover and Manchester and businesses such as Timberland, Verizon, Monadnock Paper Mills, Easter Seals and BAE Systems.

“Until now, it has not been possible for patients to learn in advance about the quality of care they can expect to receive from a provider, or the cost of the services they will incur. By making this information available, employers can help their employees get better care and better value in health care,” Leavitt said.

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