While most stakeholders agree on the need for more transparency in our health care system, there is substantial debate about how to make meaningful progress toward this goal in specific cases. One example of such a case is the federal price transparency rules for hospitals that took effect in January 2021, which require hospitals to publish five categories of standard charges for all hospital services: gross charges, discounted cash prices, payer-specific negotiated charges, de-identified minimum negotiated rates and de-identified maximum negotiated rates.

These five standard charges must be provided on a publicly available website that is routinely updated. The information must be published in two ways: a machine-readable file that contains comprehensive information on all items and services offered by the hospital, and a consumer-friendly web display or online price estimator tool of 300 of the most “shoppable” services.

In “Assessing Implementation of Hospital Price Transparency,” a white paper prepared with support from the New York State Health Foundation, Manatt Health reviews New York hospital websites in July 2021, analyzing how hospitals responded to key elements of the federal rules in the first six months of implementation. The study examines the extent to which New York hospitals have implemented the federal requirements and discusses examples of effective implementation that could mature into best practices moving forward.

To read the full white paper, click here.