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Power to the Patients goes airborne in Cape Region

Grassroots group is on awareness campaign to require hospitals to post prices
July 27, 2021

Although some 6,000 hospitals nationwide are required to post their prices, a recent study found that 94 percent were still noncompliant.

The Hospital Price Transparency Rule executive order requires hospitals to publish their costs for for up to 300 services in a consumer-friendly format. The deadline was Jan. 1.

A grassroots group, Power to the Patients, has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness in an effort to get more hospitals to comply with the order.

A June 14 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that most hospitals are paying the $300 per-day-noncompliance fee instead of the costs associated with publishing pricing information.

“People are not aware this is a rule,” said advocate Kevin Morra of Swift River Productions. “We are raising awareness that people have the right to understand prices up front. It's a basic principle all Americans should have. Hospitals have a financial obligation to their patients. Costs can derail a patient's family's lives.”

Under the rule, hospitals are required to show the discounted price for people paying cash who do not have medical insurance, and also the highest and lowest negotiated price they have reached with insurance companies, excluding co-pays and deductibles.

“There is no price awareness. Not knowing prices shuts down competition and price comparison,” Morra said.

He said people have no idea what even common services cost. We don't have the basic understanding what an X-Ray or MRI costs,” he said.

He said knowing the price of a procedure or service up front allows consumers to shop around. “Now, there is no consistency. People get different bills for the same procedures,” Morra said.

Campaign in Cape Region

The campaign is taking place in the Cape Region as the group reaches out to popular beach destinations across the country. Planes along the Delaware coast and Ocean City, Md., have started towing advertising banners featuring Shepard Fairey's artwork reminding beachgoers that patients have the right to know the price of care before receiving it.

The banners will fly over the area throughout the summer.

Fairey, considered the best known and most influential street artist in the country, is known for his Obama HOPE portrait and his Obey the Giant sticker campaign. His work is included in collections of the top art museums in the country.

Morra said the group is also reaching out to artists across the country to paint murals as part of the awareness campaign and also airing public service announcements across the country.

“The banners represent the will of the people. Change has to happen from the bottom up. It's black and white - there is no gray. The prices are supposed to be published online,” he said. “We have to help each other raise awareness.”

He urges people to take photos of the banners and post them on social media using #PowertothePatients.

In a recent survey, nearly 90 percent of Americans said hospitals should post real prices and not estimates.

Citizens can report non-compliant hospitals to patientrightsadvocate.org.

Beebe, Bayhealth comply with rule

Beebe Healthcare and Bayhealth have pricing information on their websites in compliance with the rule. However, officials at both facilities urge people to contact the hospital to receive accurate price information.

To get a confidential price estimate for a medical service or procedure at Beebe Healthcare, contact the patient financial services team at 302-645-3546.

For a price estimate at Bayhealth, contact the price estimate team by email at Price_Estimates@Bayhealth.org or phone at 302-310-8001.

For more information on costs:

Beebe Healthcare
www.cdmpricing.com/bdfcf79238cced1fa24bc49318040614/standard-charges

Bayhealth
www.bayhealth.org/patients/billing/price-transparency

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