'Priceline' of healthcare lets you bid on services

William Shatner may not be available, but patients who use a new Web site to negotiate prices with doctors might want to use Shatner's tactics as "The Negotiator" for Priceline.com.

PriceDoc.com started in Seattle in April and is set to go national in November, allowing people to name their price for medical, dental, vision and other healthcare services.

I can just see Shatner using his Captain Kirk mannerisms as he does for the travel site that lets customers name their own price for a hotel room or flight, for trying to get a better deal on cosmetic surgery or dental implants.

PriceDoc has more than 700 providers in the Seattle area and hopes to have 1,500 providers in 30 metro areas across the country when it expands in November.