Abstract
BackgroundThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently mandated that all hospitals publish their charge description masters (CDMs) online, in a machine-readable format, by January 1, 2019. In addition, CMS recommended that CDM data be made available in a manner that was consumer friendly and accessible to patients.ObjectiveThis study aimed to (1) examine all hospitals across the state of Pennsylvania to understand policy compliance and (2) use established metrics to measure accessibility and consumer friendliness of posted CDM data.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted to quantify hospital website compliance with the recent CMS policies requiring hospitals to publish their CDM. Data were collected from all Pennsylvania hospital websites. Consumer friendliness was assessed based on searchability, number of website clicks to data, and supplemental educational materials accompanying CDMs such as videos or text.ResultsMost hospitals (189/234, 80.1%) were compliant, but significant variation in data presentation was observed. The mean number of website clicks to the CDM was 3.7 (SD 1.3; range: 1-8). A total of 23.1% of compliant hospitals provided no supplemental educational material with their CDM.ConclusionsAlthough disclosure of charges has improved, the data may not be sufficient to meaningfully influence patient decision making.
Highlights
MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted to quantify hospital website compliance with the recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) policies requiring hospitals to publish their charge description master (CDM)
As of 2017, national health care expenditures in the United States rose to US $3.5 trillion, an increase of close to 4% compared with the previous year [1]
JMIR Med Inform 2020 | vol 8 | iss. 2 | e14436 | p. 1 policy is that increased price transparency will encourage patients to shop around for competitively priced health care services, much as they would for a new car [4,5,6]
Summary
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to quantify hospital website compliance with the recent CMS policies requiring hospitals to publish their CDM. Data were collected from all Pennsylvania hospital websites. Consumer friendliness was assessed based on searchability, number of website clicks to data, and supplemental educational materials accompanying CDMs such as videos or text
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
