FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VHC Health Applauds New State Law Taking Effect on Hospital Transparency
VHC Health One of 13 Fully Compliant Hospitals in the Commonwealth
ARLINGTON, VA (July 12, 2023) – VHC Health, a community-based health system providing exceptional medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area, applauds HB481 taking effect in Virginia, which requires “every hospital to make information about standard charges for items and services provided by the hospital available on the hospital's website.” VHC Health is proud to be one of only 13 hospitals in the commonwealth to reach compliance before the July 1, 2023 deadline.
“Cost transparency is more than the right thing to do, it gives patients the full information they need to act on any health concerns they may have,” said John Zabrowski, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer & Chief Strategy Officer at VHC Health. “When patients have a clear expectation of what a medical service costs, they are less likely to delay receiving care because they can plan for any additional expense, rather than receiving an unexpected bill six months later. We are proud to give our patients the ability to understand their healthcare costs well in advance.”
VHC Health has long been a leader in price transparency for hospitals in the region. We recognize that a list of standard charges and negotiated pricing fails to provide patients and families what their out of pocket costs will be once the patients’ health insurance processes the bill, therefore we highly recommend the utilization of our Cost Estimator tool that use your health plan benefits to determine costs Visit https://www.vhchealth.org/patients-visitors/billing-financial-assistance/cost-estimates/
Costs associated with common appointments and procedures are easily available through this online tool for both patients and families and is the best way to determine what the patient share may be. Virginia’s new state bill expanded on VHC Health’s robust measures to ensure patients have pricing in hand before considering a medical intervention or procedure.
VHC Health’s full price transparency information is available on their website at https://www.vhchealth.org/patients-visitors/billing-financial-assistance/price-transparency/.
About VHC HealthTM:
VHC Health provides exceptional medical services as our region’s community health system. Virginia Hospital Center was recently designated a 2021 Top Teaching Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. In 2022, the Hospital was selected for an 11th consecutive Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award™ and a 21st consecutive ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group. Virginia Hospital Center is a 453-bed not-for-profit teaching facility and designated as a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. VHC Health is a proud member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network – a national network of independent healthcare organizations.
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