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Tennessee hospital noncompliance with price transparency legislation for 8 common laboratory tests
Abstract Objectives The goal of this study was to assess hospital compliance with federal price transparency mandates and barriers to pricing information in Tennessee. Methods All hospitals websites were queried for gross, cash, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee prices for 8 high-frequency labor...
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Published in: | American journal of clinical pathology 2024-11, Vol.162 (5), p.450-454 |
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Main Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Abstract
Objectives
The goal of this study was to assess hospital compliance with federal price transparency mandates and barriers to pricing information in Tennessee.
Methods
All hospitals websites were queried for gross, cash, and BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee prices for 8 high-frequency laboratory tests in 2 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services–mandated pricing sources: (1) a machine-readable file of all available services and (2) a consumer-friendly display of 300 shoppable services. Barriers, including click counts, data availability, and intrahospital price discrepancies, were noted.
Results
Of the 145 Tennessee hospitals assessed, 97.2% were noncompliant with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services final rule. Subanalysis of available machine-readable files, price estimators, and shoppable services files demonstrated 49.6%, 95.1%, and 78.6% noncompliance, respectively. Barriers to pricing information included requiring protected health information (55.9%), missing at least 1 pricing source (7.6%), having no pricing sources available (6.2%), and involving more than 3 clicks to access the cash price in machine-readable files (54.1%) and price estimators (68.6%.) Average intrahospital discrepancy for basic metabolic panel cash prices across pricing sources was $101.30 (range, $0-1012.40).
Conclusions
Our study showed high levels of noncompliance with price transparency laws, inconsistent and inaccessible pricing, and continued challenges facing patients in Tennessee. |
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ISSN: | 0002-9173 1943-7722 1943-7722 |
DOI: | 10.1093/ajcp/aqae057 |