A representative from the Texas Hospital Association spoke out against a state bill that would require providers to send patients an itemized bill when billing for medical services, NBC affiliate KXAN reported April 3.
Currently, patients can request an itemized bill but cannot get it automatically, according to the report. Under the proposed legislation, the itemized bill would have to include the amount the provider would accept as full payment for each service or supply, a plain language description of the charge, and the billing codes and costs provided to third parties involved in reimbursement.
Michelle Lindsley, a representative from the Texas Hospital Association, said the bill would present challenges to implement, cause confusion among patients and cause hospitals to incur additional expenses, according to the report.
Ms. Lindsley is also the vice president of managed care at Houston-based Memorial Hermann. She said the health system has more than 1.6 million patient encounters per year and less than 2 percent of patients request an itemized bill.
She said the proposed requirements would cost the system upward of $3 million to $5 million per year, according to the report.