04.16.2018

New (and Limited) Transparency Site Nears Completion

The new transparency website from the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) is nearing completion and last week CHIA sent out a notice to interested parties to take one last look at it before it goes live in the coming weeks.

The site – the creation of which was mandated by the Chapter 224 reform law – allows consumers to enter in a procedure (say, MRI of the arm) and then see what various providers in a geographic area charge for that procedure.  But CHIA itself warns there are limitations: the prices listed are from 2015, and what is shown may bear no relation to what a consumer will actually pay since that is dependent on the patient’s co-pays and deductibles.  Responding to the more than 200 suggestions stakeholders made, CHIA has added prominent flags on the site encouraging consumers to check with their insurers for a more accurate cost quote.