March 09, 2022
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Report: Most Nevada hospitals aren't transparent with prices, breaking law - KRNV

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Report finds most hospitals aren't fully complying with federal price transparency law. <p&gt{/p}
Report finds most hospitals aren't fully complying with federal price transparency law. <p>{/p}

A non-profit organization surveying hospital billing practices looked at over 1,000 hospitals in the United States, including dozens right here in Nevada. Findings in the report show only 7 of the 63 hospitals surveyed in the Silver State to be compliant with federal transparency requirements.

Three of those 7 hospitals are located in the northern part of our state, including the Carson City, Sparks and Elko areas. The remaining 4 are in Las Vegas.

PatientRightsAdvocate.org puts out a Semi- Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report to keep an eye on transparency law adherence for hospital systems around the country. The February 2022 report shows only Carson Tahoe Health in Carson City, Northern Nevada Medical Center in Sparks and Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital to be in Elko in full compliance.

Statement from Shawn Curtis, chief financial officer at Northern Nevada Medical Center: “Northern Nevada Medical Center values access to healthcare and we want to ensure patients have the tools they need to make informed decisions. By complying with new regulations that detail the cost of healthcare, patients can plan and have visibility to the cost of their care needs.”

Find NNMC's pricing guide here.

Statement from Mitch Watson, vice president and chief financial officer at Carson Tahoe Hospital: "Over the past two years, Carson Tahoe Health has worked diligently to address the new price transparency rules to ensure our prices were visible to the public. While it was a heavy lift, we are grateful to have a skillful team who is dedicated to the patient experience and ensure patients have the information they need to make the best decisions for their health. The price transparency rules allow patients to be more involved in their care journey and we’re proud to be a leader of that effort in Northern Nevada."

Find CTH's price transparency page here.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Pricing Transparency Rule went into effect January 2021 and, according to the report, requires hospitals to post all prices online, easily accessible without barriers such as having to submit personal identifying information. Prices are required to be in the form of:

  • A machine-readable standard charges list for all items and services for all payers and all plans as well as all discounted cash prices.
  • A standard charges list or a price estimator tool for the 300 most common shoppable services.

The goal of price transparency is to push the healthcare system to be more competitive, more affordable and more open with patients.

Even though Renown and Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center were not compliant according to this report, their spokespeople claim they are.

Statement from Renown spokesperson: "Renown and Renown Children’s Hospital are in full support of price transparency and have been at the forefront of creating estimates for our patients’ planned future healthcare needs."

Find Renown's price transparency page here.

Statement from Saint Mary's spokesperson: "Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center makes cost information available to patients every day and we are committed to communicating with patients about their individual healthcare costs. Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center believes that understanding health care options and what healthcare will cost is very important. Because of the many factors that contribute to healthcare billing, such as health insurance, the price disclosure requirement may be confusing to consumers. The best way for any patient to receive meaningful price information is to contact the hospital with their specific treatment needs and their insurance information. Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center takes pride in being a leader for quality and transparency. Being fully compliant was an immense undertaking, but we believe it was in the best interest of our patients and the community we serve."

Find Saint Mary's pricing guide here.



source: https://mynews4.com/news/local/most-nevada-hospitals-arent-transparent-with-prices-breaking-law-according-to-report

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