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In a milestone for independent physicians and consumers of healthcare, Donald Trump signed the highly-anticipated executive order to improve price transparency and data availability on healthcare procedures and services.

"For too long it's been virtually impossible for Americans to know the real price and quality of health care services and the services they receive," Trump said at the White House. "As a result, patients face significant obstacles shopping for the best care at the best price, driving up health care costs for everyone. With today's historic action, we are fundamentally changing the nature of the health care marketplace."

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told reporters that the order "will put patients in charge and address the drivers of high health care costs...increasing choice and competition."

The order also calls for:

--expanded uses for health savings accounts, a tax-advantaged way to pay health care bills that has long been favored by Republicans. Coupled with a lower-premium, high-deductible insurance plan, the accounts can be used to pay out-of-pocket costs for routine medical exams and procedures.

--a plan to pull together the government's various health care quality rating systems for hospitals, nursing homes, and Medicare Advantage plans, improving reporting of information to consumers.

--more access by researchers to health care information, such as claims for services covered by government programs like Medicare. The data would be stripped of details that could identify individual patients.