With more than 30 states requiring hospitals to disclose at least some of their charges and members of Congress pushing hospitals to disclose information about their prices, pressure is mounting for hospitals to publish "standard charges" for goods and services, Kaiser Health News reports.
But how do you define "standard charges?"
Some hospitals list items from "charger masters," or lists that might include up to 65,000 items. A single procedure may list a mix of them. But they can be hard to decode, Jessica Rothhaar of the advocacy group Health Access told Kaiser Health News.
Here's something from UCLA Medical Center's state-required charger master list: GRMS EXT PIECE HOWMED STRYKER. The charge is $10,390, but there's no translation. Can you tell it refers to prosthetic bone?
Another approach would require hospitals to publish prices for set diagnoses or procedures, rather than confusing charge lists of all items used in a procedure or treatment.There would be one set price for an appendectomy or knee replacement.
Subway restaurants charge flat rates for sandwiches no matter which toppings customers choose, Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.), said last month during a congressional hearing, according to the KHN article. "If the owners of Subway can figure out how to make money by lumping their prices," he said, "so can our nation's hospitals."
To learn more:
- read the Kaiser Health News article
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