Inconsistent Compliance with Federal Price Transparency Rules Found Among Colorado Hospitals 

By Consumers for Quality Care, on February 28, 2024

This month, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing released a report showing that many hospitals in the state are likely not in compliance with federal price-transparency rules, according to The Denver Post. These federal rules consist mainly of two requirements: that hospitals publish price information online in a computer-readable format, and that hospitals publish a consumer-friendly list of prices (or a cost-estimator tool) for “shoppable” health care services.   

In the report, most Colorado hospitals (59 percent) were rated “good,” suggesting compliance with federal rules. Yet 10 percent of hospitals were rated “fair”, suggesting only partial compliance, and another 31 percent were rated “poor,” suggesting a greater likelihood of noncompliance. 

The report suggests that, though there’s been progress on price transparency in Colorado, more efforts are needed to achieve full compliance in the state. To that end, the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is doing outreach to hospitals that have been flagged for poor performance. The goal is to help these hospitals improve their transparency practices so that they align with federal rules.  

Consumers for Quality Care believes that patients have a right to the information they need to compare health care costs, and that hospitals should be held accountable when they fail to provide this information.