The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun its search for a firm that can build a price comparison tool for consumers. "Each patient's price depends on how much can be extracted." A sources sought notice was released to find any companies with the knowledge to create a transparency-focused web portal, and a formal request for proposals could be released later depending on responses. Interested parties – who need to have experience in storing and transmitting medical provider data, and using bid and auction information for health care procedures – need to respond by 24 September. The move comes as the agency urges hospitals to be more transparent about their charges to patients. It has updated its price transparency guidelines, inspired by the Affordable Care Act, by needing hospitals to publish a list of standard charges in an online format from 1 January. The information, which also needs to be machine-readable, must be updated at least yearly. It is not clear whether the two initiatives are connected. The CMS previously said that it was considering possible future actions on how hospitals could best highlight cost data that would be most useful to consumers – enabling them to easily compare prices and quality of providers. But some expressed disappointment with the plan. Steven Weissman, a former hospital president, said he did not think a hospital price comparison tool would help consumers. Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association, as well as others in the industry, argued that payers should be the main source of price information for patients. In April, the US Department of Health and Human Services, under President Barack Obama, announced plans to overhaul Obamacare.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun its search for a firm that can build a price comparison tool for consumers. A sources sought notice was released to find any companies with the knowledge to create a transparency-focused web portal, and a formal request for proposals could be released later depending on responses. Interested parties – who need to have experience in storing and transmitting medical provider data, and using bid and auction information for health care procedures – need to respond by 24 September. The move comes as the agency urges hospitals to be more transparent about their charges to patients. It has updated its price transparency guidelines, inspired by the Affordable Care Act, by needing hospitals to publish a list of standard charges in an online format from 1 January. The information, which also needs to be machine-readable, must be updated at least yearly. It is not clear whether the two initiatives are connected. The CMS previously said that it was considering possible future actions on how hospitals could best highlight cost data that would be most useful to consumers – enabling them to easily compare prices and quality of providers. But some expressed disappointment with the plan. Steven Weissman, a former hospital president, said he did not think a hospital price comparison tool would help consumers. Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association, as well as others in the industry, argued that payers should be the main source of price information for patients. In April, the US Department of Health and Human Services, under President Barack Obama, announced plans to overhaul Obamacare.