CMS Requires Hospitals to Publish Standard Charges on the Internet

Section 2718(e) of the Public Health Service Act, which was enacted as part of the Affordable Care Act, updated Medicare payment policies to require that "each hospital operating within the United States, for each year, establish (and update) and make public (in accordance with guidelines developed by the Secretary) a list of the hospital's standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital." CMS provided guidance for implementation and stated hospitals are required to make the list of their standard charges, or their policies for public access to the list, available upon inquiry. More ›