CMS is requiring hospitals to make standard charges publicly available in a more standardized manner, according to a Nov. 2 fact sheet. The agency said this will also make it easier for third parties to develop consumer-friendly materials, for hospitals to comply, and for CMS to enforce regulations.
The agency is also making several enforcement changes. They include:
- Requiring hospital officials to certify the accuracy and completeness of machine-readable file data.
- Requiring hospitals to submit an acknowledgement of receipt of warning notices.
- Reserving the right to communicate directly with health system leadership when a hospital with a compliance issue is part of a system.
- Publishing other enforcement activities — in addition to civil monetary penalties — on CMS’ price transparency enforcement website.
Read more about the rule here.