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The Trump administration is sounding out the medical industry on requiring hospitals, doctors and other health-care providers to publicly disclose the secretly negotiated prices they charge insurance companies for services, a move that would expose for the first time the actual cost of care. Mandating public disclosure of the rates would upend a longstanding industry practice and put more decision-making power in the hands of patients. Hospitals and insurers typically treat specific prices for medical services as closely held secrets, with contracts between the insurers and hospital systems generally bound by confidentiality agreements. (Armour and Wilde Mathews, 3/7)

Kaiser Health News: As Hospitals Post Price Lists, Consumers Are Asked To Check Up On Them

With much fanfare, federal officials required hospitals nationwide this year to post their “list” prices online. But it’s not yet clear how many are doing it, even as the government has taken the rare step of asking consumers to monitor hospital compliance. Most hospitals appear to be complying with the rule, according to hospital officials and a small sampling of websites. (Findlay, 3/8)

In mid-February, I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs, Missouri, took the unusual step of voluntarily suspending its own license after state regulators said it was “out of regulatory compliance.” The 15-bed critical access hospital said it planned to reopen in 90 days. But now the path forward has become steeper. On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services cut off the hospital’s participation in the Medicare program. CMS cited deficiencies that are “so serious they constitute an immediate threat to patient health and safety.” (Margolies, 3/7)

What are the "best" and "worst" hospitals in Houston? The latest hospital ratings were released by the The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The ratings, which can be found at www.medicare.gov analyze hospitals from all over the United States. The organization rated 25 hospitals within 25 miles from the center of Houston. (Dawson, 3/7)