Thirty of the 73 hospitals in the Tampa Bay area do not comply with a new regulation aimed at making costs more transparent, and Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center is one of them, according to a nonprofit organization monitoring compliance.

Under a regulation that took effect Jan. 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid requires hospitals to make available a comprehensive list showing all items of service that displays shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format, ABC Action News reports.

 Patient Rights Advocate.org, which surveyed Florida hospitals, said Lakeland Regional Health’s standard charges list does not include negotiated rates.

Lance Green, Lakeland Regional Health’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, provided this response:

“Lakeland Regional Health is committed to providing price transparency for our patients and families. The price estimator tool that is accessible on our website allows consumers to shop for a large number of hospital services to determine estimated out-of-pocket costs based on their specific health insurance plan benefits. We are fully aware of the CMS requirements that went into effect on January 1 of this year and have made good faith efforts to comply with CMS regulations and will continue to monitor and adjust price transparency disclosures as needed.”

Source: ABC Action News

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Barry Friedman

barry@lkldnow.com

Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.

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