WASHINGTON, July 9, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA)
released a statement on the findings of the new machine-readable
file (MRF) tracker by Turquoise Health that tracks
real-time hospital compliance with the federal hospital price
transparency rule.
"We applaud Turquoise Health for creating a live tracker showing
hospital compliance with the Hospital Price Transparency Rule.
Unfortunately, much like our semi-annual compliance reports, their
data show alarmingly low rates of full compliance with the hospital
price transparency
requirements," said PatientRightsAdvocate.org Founder
and Chairman Cynthia Fisher.
"Despite the rules being in effect for more than three years, all
healthcare consumers are harmed by a lack of access to real upfront
prices. With three-quarters of hospitals failing to pass CMS's
validator tool, which by their admission does not constitute
compliance with transparency requirements, it is clear that
lackluster enforcement of hospital price transparency rules by CMS
has enabled hospitals to maintain unacceptably low rates of
compliance. Increased enforcement, including fines, and the passage
of robust legislation to codify and strengthen these rules are
necessary to bring more hospitals into full compliance and protect
patients from overcharges, errors, and even fraud in medical billing."
Background:
- According to the Turquoise tracker, only 16.7%
of hospitals nationwide comply with the latest form and
structure requirements that pass the CMS validator tool (which does
not assess the accuracy of the data) and post a compliant text
file.
- Of the MRFs analyzed by Turquoise, half post the data necessary
to be considered fully compliant with the price transparency
rules.
- PRA's sixth Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency
Compliance Report revealed just 34.5% of hospitals surveyed
were in full compliance with the federal hospital price
transparency rule.
- PRA will release a new compliance report this fall that will
analyze both the updated form and structure requirements and assess
the accuracy and integrity of the data included in each
file.
- PRA continues to lead in the fight for healthcare price
transparency. At the end of last year, PRA released
the Hospital Price Files Finder, which was the first-ever free
and publicly available search tool that allows consumers to view
the available hospital pricing files from nearly all 6,000
hospitals throughout the U.S.
- A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill to
strengthen and expand healthcare price transparency requirements
(S.3548). The Senate bill is the most impactful piece of
legislation to ensure healthcare consumers have access to all
upfront prices and receipts to provide remedy and recourse for
overcharges and errors on medical bills.
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SOURCE Patient Rights Advocate