AHA today recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services convene a multi-stakeholder process to advance price transparency in health care. “The AHA is committed to improving patients’ access to information on the price of their care,” the association wrote, responding to a CMS request for information on ways to make more useful price information available to consumers. “CMS’s updated guidelines may help some patients obtain pricing information; yet, numerous challenges must be overcome to provide accurate price estimates broadly. The provision of care is complex, and often the exact course of care is not knowable in advance. Moreover, individuals are more interested in knowing how much they will need to pay for their care or, more specifically, their out-of-pocket costs. Yet hospitals, health systems and other providers do not have access to detailed data on health plan benefit and beneficiary cost-sharing amounts; rather, insurers hold this information. We recommend that the agency convene a multi-stakeholder process to discuss how we can work together to improve price transparency, the sharing of information on health plan benefit structure and cost-sharing amounts, and overall health care literacy.” AHA also encouraged software developers and other technical experts to work with providers and insurers on tools they can use to help respond to patient pricing inquiries.
 

Related News Articles

Headline
Jill Howard, R.N., senior consultant, Sheppard Pratt Solutions, is the 2024 chair of AHA’s Committee on Behavioral Health. Zelia Baugh, executive vice…
Headline
At its International Summit & Exhibition on Health Facility Planning, Design & Construction March 17-20 in San Diego, the American Society for Health…
Headline
The AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health Equity seeks applicants and host sites through Feb. 4 for its Summer Enrichment Program, which pairs graduate…
Headline
At least 91% of hospitals had posted a machine-readable file containing rate information by the end of 2023, according to a new analysis by Turquoise Health.…
Headline
The AHA Guide 2024 Edition offers a comprehensive hospital directory with quick and easy search capabilities and details on utilization, leadership,…
Headline
The deadline to apply for the Executive Certificate in Diversity and Health Equity, a 10-month fellowship managed by AHA’s Institute for Diversity and Health…