Hospital Price Transparency
Hospital price transparency helps Americans know the cost of a hospital item or service before receiving it. Starting January 1, 2021, each hospital operating in the United States will be required to provide clear, accessible pricing information online about the items and services they provide in two ways:
- As a comprehensive machine-readable file with all items and services.
- In a display of shoppable services in a consumer-friendly format.
This information will make it easier for consumers to shop and compare prices across hospitals and estimate the cost of care before going to the hospital.
CMS audits a sample of hospitals, in addition to investigating complaints that are submitted to CMS, and hospitals may face civil monetary penalties for noncompliance. To learn more about enforcement actions to-date and updates to the enforcement processes, access the Hospital Price Transparency Enforcement Updates Fact Sheet.
CMS CY 2027 Hospital OPPS/ASC Proposed Rule Request for Information (RFI): Strengthening the Standardization and Comparability of Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) Data
CMS is seeking feedback to strengthen MRF requirements, including opportunities to increase hospital pricing data standardization and improve the accuracy and completeness of reporting within free text fields. The RFI also seeks public comment on potential approaches to enhance the comparability and usefulness of the consumer-friendly display requirements. The proposed rule can be found here.
To be assured consideration, submissions must be received by August 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM EDT.
Link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/CMS-2026-2344
Hospital Price Transparency: Enforcement of 2026 Requirements Starts April 1
Enforcement of new and updated Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) requirements finalized in the CY 2026 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System final rule starts April 1, 2026. Make sure your hospital’s machine-readable file conforms to these requirements. See the updated HPT (PDF) fact sheet to learn more.
CMS has resources to help hospitals understand and comply with the new requirements:
Page Last Modified:
07/21/2026 10:45 AM