Many hospitals still not adhering to price transparency laws

Editor's note: The following is an edited excerpt from our sister publication, HealthLeaders.

The No Surprises Act, which became effective January 1, requires hospitals to post the prices for their most common procedures as well as a patient-friendly tool to help shop for 300 common services.

According to a recent study published by JAMA, out of the 5,239 hospital websites evaluated, roughly 51% of hospitals did not adhere to either price transparency requirement.

Almost 14% of hospitals studied had a machine-readable file but no shoppable display while 30% of hospitals had a shoppable display but not a machine-readable file, according to the study. It also found less than 6% of hospitals were compliant with both components of the mandate.

Researchers also found that hospitals located in moderately concentrated or highly concentrated healthcare markets were significantly less likely to be transparent with their prices.