The Brief
- More than 500 hospitals nationwide, including 23 in Southern California, have been warned for failing to comply with federal hospital price transparency rules, according to a watchdog group Hospital Watch.
- Hospital Watch says unclear and difficult-to-access pricing information makes it harder for patients to compare costs and avoid surprise medical bills.
- Hospital Watch says hospitals should comply with existing price transparency rules so patients know the cost of care before receiving treatment.
A new report says more than 500 hospitals across the country have been warned by the federal government for failing to comply with federal hospital price transparency rules. According to the watchdog group Hospital Watch, 23 hospitals in the Los Angeles area are not complying with those requirements.
The watchdog group says patients are being kept in the dark about the cost of care, making it harder to compare prices and avoid surprise medical bills. The report says major hospital systems continue to use vague, incomplete and difficult-to-access pricing information that prevents patients, families and employers from understanding the true cost of care before the bill arrives.…