Baker Institute report: Top hospitals violating price-transparency mandate

According to a new report from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, several of the nation’s most prominent hospitals are violating federal mandates requiring transparency in pricing.

The research team, led by Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics, found poor compliance with the 2021 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requirement that hospitals publicly list their prices for shoppable services.

“The highest-rated hospitals are eager to pay for full-page media ads touting their high quality to patients. Yet many seem eager to hide the prices they charge from these same customers,” Ho said in a statement. “Patients deserve to have transparent information about hospital prices, particularly since high-deductible health plans are forcing them to pay more out of pocket.”

Marah Short, scholar in health economics at the Baker Institute, appeared on KPRC 2+ Thursday to share additional insights about the report. Watch the interview in the video player at the top of the page.

The full report: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/media/files/files/2ce91159/bi-report-051222-chb-hospital-prices.pdf

You can stream KPRC 2+ weekdays at 7 a.m. on click2houston.com and the KPRC 2 app.