Access To Outpatient Medical Price Transparency Has Minimal Effect On Consumer Care Decisions

Price transparency for outpatient medical services has a minimal effect on consumer shopping behaviors related to decisions about where to obtain needed care. Based on claims trends in New York State after outpatient list prices for various procedures were publicly released, billed charges increased by 0.75%. There were essentially no changes in billed charges for procedures with a high proportion of out-of-network claims. Billed charges increased by 2.5% for procedures with a low proportion of out-of-network claims. The increase was concentrated among lower-priced provider organizations in markets with low out-of-network spending . . .