Hospital price transparency updates include stricter enforcement, new fines and pending legislation
(Note: The last section of this article was updated May 24 where noted to reflect developments in Congress.) Enforcement of hospital price transparency regulations is becoming stricter, with CMS implementing new policies and recently fining two hospitals. Changes were anticipated after CMS leaders authored an article in February that reported 70% compliance in 2022, the…
News Briefs: Financial and operational pressures continue for hospitals amid scattered positive signs
Recent financial data for the hospital industry illustrate continuing challenges even as some trends improve. Fitch Ratings released an analysis in early March that offers scant reason for optimism. Titled “Early NFP hospital medians show expected deterioration; will worsen,” it draws on data from hospitals with earlier 2022 financial year-ends. Those numbers show “materially weaker…
Healthcare News of Note: Medicare to negotiate reduced prices for 40 drugs by 2028, says study
Medicare drug price negotiation has the potential to benefit Medicare beneficiaries across some of the most common disease states.
Affordability of healthcare is not enhanced when providers form health systems, studies find
The efficiencies gained when providers operate as a health system don’t always translate to care that is more cost-effective, according to two recently published JAMA studies on pricing. In one study, researchers with Harvard Medical School and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) examined 2018 data from various sources, including CMS administrative data, IRS…
Hospital price transparency update: Regulatory enforcement soon could become stricter, CMS leaders say
Although nothing is official, CMS leaders indicate enforcement of hospital price transparency regulations is set to become more stringent. For an article published in Health Affairs, the Center for Medicare’s Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, director, and Douglas Jacobs, MD, chief transformation officer, touted progress that has been made since the rules took effect Jan. 1,…
Healthcare News of Note: Americans have less confidence in the nation’s healthcare system
Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Confidence in the U.S. healthcare system dips again, the median proposed health insurance premium increase for 2023 is about 10%, and improved oral care in hospitals can prevent pneumonia.
In an inflationary environment, pending Medicare payment updates don’t measure up
Consumer-focused inflation numbers aren’t as significant in healthcare as in other sectors, but prices are hampering hospitals and health systems.
Hospital prices increasingly are coming under a microscope
Newly issued reports and policy recommendations are examining hospital prices in the context of high healthcare costs.
Healthcare pricing update: 2 experts call for greater regulation
Recent price increases have been slower in healthcare than in the economy at large, but two healthcare economists say the long-term price trends should be addressed through regulation.
Healthcare News of Note: Americans living in rural areas face an increased risk of death, in part due to issues with healthcare access, says a new infographic
Healthcare News of Note for healthcare finance professionals is a roundup of recent news articles: Issues with healthcare access contribute to an increased risk of death for rural residents, many workers struggle to pay for healthcare deductibles, and hospital and physician office markups on certain drugs escalate consumer costs.