The chairman of healthcare review site Vitals, Mitch Rothschild says medical consumers can’t save money if they don’t know what their options are for doctors, tests, drugs and insurance claims.

The company, and competitors like Castlight Health, offer online portals to show customers physicians’ Consumer Reports ratings, list price estimates and keep track of their medical expenses and insurance paperwork. But if regulations are so complex and care data so scarce that consumers aren’t using their products, companies like Vital and Castlight can’t accurately curate information for their databases or exert any real influence on the market.

Check out the full story at the New York Times: