Hospital Price Transparency: Achieve Compliance and Compete

Turn CMS Mandates into Strategic Wins with Trek Health

The CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule requires hospitals to publish pricing data, including gross charges, discounted cash prices, and payer-specific negotiated rates. Compliance is critical to avoid fines, but Trek Health’s tools help you use pricing data to attract patients and outpace competitors. Health Affairs highlights transparency’s role in reshaping hospital strategy, while HFMA emphasizes its financial impact.

CMS Hospital Price Transparency Requirements

Hospitals must meet CMS standards:

  • Machine-Readable Files: Publish pricing for all services in formats like JSON or CSV, as mandated by CMS.
  • Comprehensive Rate Disclosures: Include gross charges, cash prices, payer-specific rates, and minimum/maximum charges.
  • Shoppable Services List: Provide a consumer-friendly, searchable list of 300+ shoppable services, per AMA.

Noncompliance risks fines of up to $300 per bed per day.

Trek Health’s Compliance and Strategy Solutions

Trek Health’s platform streamlines compliance and unlocks competitive insights:

  • Automate Data Updates: Aggregate pricing files with automated tools to reduce errors and save time.
  • Benchmark Competitor Rates: Compare service line prices to local and regional competitors using public CMS data, as advised by HFMA.
  • Monitor Compliance: Get alerts for outdated, missing, or noncompliant pricing disclosures.
  • Optimize Service Lines: Analyze pricing trends by geography or specialty to refine offerings, per Health Affairs.

Example (Illustrative): A community hospital used Trek Health to adjust MRI pricing, which was 8% above market rates. By aligning with competitors and promoting transparency, they boosted patient volume by 10%. Examples are illustrative based on industry trends.

Lead with Transparency

Stay compliant and competitive with Trek Health. Schedule a demo to explore our platform or download our free CMS Compliance Checklist to assess compliance readiness. Explore payer data strategies on our Payer Transparency page or regulations on our Healthcare Transparency Laws page. Visit our Trek Health Case Studies or read our Shoppable Services Guide.
Source: Learn more from CMS, Health Affairs, and AMA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are shoppable services?

Shoppable services are elective procedures (e.g., colonoscopies) that patients can schedule, requiring clear pricing under CMS rules.

How can hospitals use pricing data strategically?

Benchmarking rates against competitors, as supported by Trek Health, helps hospitals adjust pricing and attract patients, per HFMA.

What are the penalties for noncompliance?

Hospitals face fines of up to $300 per bed per day, as outlined by CMS.

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