PRESS RELEASE: PatientRightsAdvocate.org Introduces Price Transparency Champion Award

 18 hospitals, hospital systems and public officials honored for putting patients first 

Today, PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) announced the creation of The Price Transparency Champion Award and unveiled its first-ever recipients. The new award recognizes U.S. hospitals and hospital systems for their commitment to fully complying with federal price transparency requirements. By publishing their actual, upfront prices in an exemplary manner, these award-winning hospitals protect patients from overcharges and empower them to choose the best care at the best prices. The award also recognizes elected leaders for their efforts to support systemwide healthcare price transparency to lower costs and protect their constituents. 

“I congratulate each recipient from across the nation and applaud them for advancing meaningful price transparency for patients and healthcare consumers,” said PRA Founder and Chairman Cynthia Fisher. “In our ongoing advocacy for systemwide healthcare price transparency, it is important to recognize those who are leading the way in supporting every patient’s right to accurate, upfront prices. Through their price transparency commitments, we can usher in a more accessible, equitable, and affordable healthcare system that puts patients over profits. PRA is proud to salute these hospitals and leaders for both setting an example and helping unleash a true healthcare marketplace that is functional, competitive, and fair for all Americans.” 

The introduction of The Price Transparency Champion Award comes after last month’s release of PRA’s fifth Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Compliance Report, which revealed that only 36% of U.S. hospitals reviewed are in full compliance with the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. The report also includes open-source live links to actual pricing files for each of the 2,000 U.S. hospitals reviewed, converted to human-readable and machine-readable files as appropriate. Once all hospitals are fully complying with the rule’s requirements, American consumers will be empowered to compare upfront prices so they can lower their costs and be protected from overcharges. 

Each hospital and hospital system award recipient has distinguished itself in terms of exemplary transparency compliance, including in some cases a record of significant improvement, and in so doing demonstrated a commitment to putting patients over profits. Each elected official honored with the award has exercised steadfast leadership in enforcing and strengthening healthcare price transparency at the state or federal level. 

The winners of PRA’s inaugural Price Transparency Champion Award are as follows: 

 Hospitals 

• Best-in-Class: Rush University Medical Center – Chicago, IL 

• Baton Rouge General - Mid City – Baton Rouge, LA 

• Grandview Medical Center – Birmingham, AL 

• Mercy Hospital Downtown Bakersfield – Bakersfield, CA 

• MetroHealth Medical Center – Cleveland, OH 

• Pullman Regional Hospital – Pullman, WA 

• Ridgeview Medical Center – Waconia, MN 

• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – New Brunswick, NJ 

• Saint Tammany Parish Hospital – Covington, LA 

• UW Health University Hospital – Madison, WI 

 Hospital Systems 

• Kaiser Permanente – Oakland, CA (98% compliance) 

• Community Health Systems – Franklin, TN (97% compliance) 

• Universal Health Services – King of Prussia, PA (92% compliance) 

• CommonSpirit Health – Chicago, IL (88% compliance) 

• LifePoint Health – Brentwood, TN (83% compliance) 

Elected Officials 

• U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Fifth District of Washington 

• U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Sixth District of New Jersey 

• Governor Jared Polis, Colorado 

About PRA   

 PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) is a leading national healthcare price transparency organization dedicated to ushering in systemwide transparency through advocacy, testimony, media, legal research, and grassroots campaigns. PRA believes that the availability and visibility of actual, upfront healthcare prices will greatly lower costs for patients and employers through a functional, competitive healthcare marketplace.