Clinical Pathology Labs Should Plan on Greater Transparency in Test Prices and Patient Outcomes
At least seven states have laws mandating an on-line database showing the cost of medical treatments by different providers
At both the federal and state level, the trend toward greater transparency in health-care pricing continues to spread. This is a trend which is designed to require providers—including clinical laboratories and pathology groups—to make their prices for laboratory testing easily accessible to patients and consumers.
Across the nation, federal and state governments are implementing policies aimed at helping consumers make informed health-care decisions. Ultimately, pricing transparency is expected to contain rising health-care costs by creating consumer-driven competition between providers. This is intended to increase price competition among hospitals and physicians’ offices initially. Medical laboratories will eventually be included.
