A proposed Senate bill in New Mexico that would allow consumers to more easily compare prices at hospitals in the state is progressing, according to a report by The Santa Fe New Mexican.
The legislation, S.B. 474, was introduced Jan. 26 and referred to the Senate Public Affairs Committee.
The bill is based on recommendations from Think New Mexico, a Santa Fe-based think tank, and would allow consumers to compare New Mexico hospitals' prices, as well as statistics related to quality of care at those hospitals, via a newly created website that the bill seeks to have running in January 2017, according to the report.
"New Mexico families urgently need these reforms because they are paying more and more out of pocket for healthcare but have no way to shop around for the best value," Fred Nathan, executive director of Think New Mexico, said in the report. "The transparency website in S.B. 474 will encourage hospitals to compete to improve quality and affordability."
The New Mexico Hospital Association also helped develop its own proposal related to price transparency and quality of care — S.B. 323 — which would create a committee to determine how information would be spread or dispersed, according to the report. Under the legislation, hospitals would report inpatient discharge data, as well as some quality-of-care statistics, the report reads.
S.B. 323 was introduced last month and referred to the Senate Public Affairs Committee.
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