Last year, researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore and Washington and LeeUniversity in Lexington, Va., used Medicare data from 2012 to rank the 50 hospitals in the country that charge commercial insurers the greatest markups above Medicare rates. The study generated negative media attention on hospital pricing practices.
This year, University if Miami researchers compared total charges in the 20 Florida hospitals before and after Health Affairs published its list, and compared that to trends in total charges at other state hospitals. The study was published in the Journal of Health Care Finance.
Researchers found no evidence hospitals responded to public scrutiny and negative media attention with any meaningful reduction in charges.
“We assume [cost transparency tools] perhaps steer patients to comparison-shop when it comes to [medical] services,” lead author and researcher Karoline Mortensen, PhD, told WRLN. “But that probably won’t have an effect on the hospitals actually considering what to charge particular patients. They’re already taking that into account when they set their chargemasters. They’re looking around at what other hospitals are charging so they know what their competition is doing.”
More articles on finance and revenue cycle management issues:
7 companies offering healthcare RCM staffing services
The three questions CFOs should ask their RCM partners
Mercy Health taps VitalWare for RCM
Becker’s 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit is the top tier event that the people leading the future of pharmacy convene. This 3-day event is built specifically for Chief Pharmacy Officers and senior pharmacy leaders. The sessions examine the workforce, financial and clinical priorities shaping pharmacy today. Becker’s is where candid discussions flourish and new ideas thrive. Becker's 3rd Annual Fall Chief Pharmacy Officer Summit
