Enforcing Hospital Price Transparency

The Hospital Price Transparency Rule, implemented in 2021, aims to empower patients and reduce healthcare costs by requiring hospitals to disclose pricing information. While compliance has improved over time, enforcement challenges persist, and further policy changes are needed to ensure transparency's effectiveness in reducing healthcare costs. Click here for article.

• Enforcement's Impact on Compliance: CMS's enforcement actions, including increased penalties, led to higher compliance rates but technical violations persist.

• Delayed Penalties: Delays between identifying noncompliance and issuing penalties have hindered effective enforcement.

• Efficiency Gains: Automation and contractor engagement in 2023 improved CMS’s enforcement efficiency, reviewing over 200 hospitals monthly.

• Policy Recommendations: Proposals include prioritizing consistent enforcement, implementing audit-like reviews, streamlining penalties, and enhancing public disclosure of violations.