Price transparency rated 'exemplary' at 2 Georgia system hospitals after CMS fines

The first two hospitals fined for price transparency violations now have "exemplary" disclosures, PatientRightsAdvocate.org Cynthia founder Fisher told USA Today in an Aug. 9 report. 

In June, CMS fined two hospitals in the Atlanta-based Northside Hospital for violations. Northside Hospital Atlanta, the health system's flagship facility, was fined $883,180. Northside Hospital Cherokee in Canton, Ga., was fined $214,320. CMS said Northside Hospital Atlanta didn't have a searchable list for consumers posted in a prominent manner that clearly identified the location of the hospital concerned, according to the report. CMS said "no consumer-friendly list of standard charges was found," for Northside Hospital Cherokee. 

Ms. Fisher said that both hospitals quickly came into compliance after those fines were levied and they both now have "exemplary" price disclosures.

An Aug. 9 report from PatientRightsAdvocate.org found that only 16 percent of hospitals are complying with the price transparency rule nearly 20 months after it went into effect.  

"If [CMS] does its job and actually enforces this law, hospitals will come into compliance," Ms. Fisher said.

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