On Jan. 1, 2019 a new federal rule goes into effect that requires hospitals to post their “standard charges” on the hospital’s website in a “machine readable” format. DCHA has prepared a toolkit for hospital members to assist in understanding the rule’s requirements and communicating with patients and the media about the chargemaster and related price transparency issues.  Please feel free to brand to your hospital’s standards and make any appropriate changes. DCHA recommends posting this toolkit, or portions thereof, next to your chargemaster on your website.

The member toolkit includes:

• A summary of the rule and related CMS guidance.
• A disclaimer to post with standard charges (member hospitals should edit to meet their needs).
• Information for public outreach (hospitals should tailor to meet their needs).
• A chargemaster FAQ that describes what the chargemaster is and is not (hospitals may edit to use preferred terms or messaging).
• A consumer guide to health care prices prepared by the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
• A consumer guide to avoiding surprise medical bills jointly prepared by the American Hospital Association, Healthcare Financial Management Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans.