Report: Virginia hospitals fall short on price transparency
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Not all Virginia hospitals are fully complying with a federal rule that requires them to publicly post how much their services cost, per the latest review from Patient Rights Advocate.
Why it matters: The advocacy group's report suggests it's making it harder for patients to fight against billing errors and overcharges.
Between the lines: PRA isn't who determines compliance. That would be the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), who enacted the price transparency rule back in 2021.
- The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, which represents many of the state's hospital systems, tells Axios that CMS hasn't fined a Virginia hospital for noncompliance.
- And a federal audit last month estimated 54% of hospitals nationwide are complying, a significantly higher projection of compliance than PRA's review found (21%).
Yes, but: PRA's report does bring awareness to how patients should be able to shop around for the best deal on medical procedures and see those prices online in an accessible and searchable format, per the rule.
- And it notes how accessing some price estimates requires submitting personal information or a username and password, when the guidance says it shouldn't.
By the numbers: Of the 49 Virginia hospitals the PRA reviewed — of more than 6,000 licensed hospitals nationwide — 38 or 78% were noncompliant.
- That includes Richmond area ones like all of the Bon Secours hospitals, VCU Medical Center West and HCA Chippenham.
- Bon Secours and VCU didn't respond to a request for comment by press time. Chippenham's spokesperson Wes Hester told Axios that HCA's websites have included tools to help patients understand out-of-pocket costs since 2021.
- Per the review, Parham Doctors' and Retreat Doctors' were the only ones fully compliant in the Richmond area. Both are also part of HCA.
Zoom in: Most were marked noncompliant for not having the files of the prices in the right format.
- Though even some Virginia hospitals listed as compliant had files so big it crashed an Axios reporter's computer, which can add to challenges.
Pro tip: VHHA has a Hospital Price Transparency Tool with links to Virginia hospitals' price estimator tools and more here.
What's next: An updated CMS rule allowing hospitals to post estimates and averages instead of specific prices goes into effect Jan. 1.
- The PRA wants the incoming Trump administration to reverse those changes.
Go deeper: Hospital price transparency dips