SCHA Price Transparency Task Force
Report by Task Force Chair Bill Manson
July 22, 2014
SCHA Price Transparency Task Force
 Devoted the last year to studying transparency
efforts in other states and monitoring and
responding to SC DHHS transparency efforts.
 Recommends that SCHA work as quickly as
practical to develop a consumer-oriented,
SCHA-sponsored pricing and public education
website.
 Participation by hospitals would be voluntary,
but critical to success.
SC DHHS will soon release charge data
 Plans to include charge and payment data for Medicaid and
State Employees side by side.
 No indication that profitability data will be cleaned up.
 Continue to upload entire documents without explanations
(i.e. 990 forms, tax returns, Medicare cost report).
 Has changed focus from consumer to policymakers and
media.
 This is just the beginning of transparency efforts at state
agency.
SC DHHS charge/payment info will not be
for consumers
SC DHHS uses brief commentaries to share
important information
Task Force recommends Price Point
 SCHA can work with the Wisconsin Hospital Association to
build and maintain SC website, using Price Point.
 Wisconsin’s Price Point is used in 12 states.
(Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas, Washington, Oklahoma, Virginia, Montana, Nebraska,
Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Wyoming)
 Wisconsin updates the data quarterly.
 Much more affordable than building a custom site.
 Tested and proven by several other states.
 There is a group of Price Point users that share best
practices and trouble shoot as a group.
Coming soon to Price Point
 More updated format, which SC can help develop.
 Cost estimator for consumers.
 Possible to add average payment information,
compared to average charges.
Recommended info for SCHA website
 average charges and number of cases for select
number of frequently billed DRG or CPT codes
 audited, consolidated financial statements of hospitals
to accurately show profitability
 charity and bad debt numbers by hospital
 payer mix for each hospital
 links to hospital policies regarding financial assistance
 general consumer information about the health care
system
 information on where to go for help in finding
insurance
Hospital support is critical to getting timely
and accurate information to South
Carolinians in a way that will help them
understand the health care system and
enable them to make better decisions for
themselves.
Will your hospital support SCHA’s
transparency initiative?