Price Transparency Could Lower Costs In The ED

Price transparency can educate emergency department providers about the cost to patients when they undergo procedures--and, as a result, help hospitals address inefficiencies that drive up costs, conclude researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.

Reporting online in the journal PLOS ONE, the UC San Francisco researchers found the most expensive of the 10 most common conditions treated in EDs was kidney stones, with a median cost of $3,437. The least expensive common complaint to treat was an upper respiratory infection, at $740...

The issue of cost transparency is becoming a "hot topic" as the U.S. struggles with controlling healthcare costs, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports. Numerous state, federal and private programs are trying to address the issue, the organization notes...