Showing Test Prices May Not Change Ordering Behavior

Publishing testing prices in electronic ordering systems for inpatients may not lead to significant changes in clinician ordering behavior or associated fees, according to a study published April 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine. However, small changes were seen in ordering for patients in the intensive care unit and in higher fee tests. The authors say this suggests that more targeted price transparency interventions may have more impact. "The price transparency intervention in this study was always displayed regardless of the clinical scenario," explain the authors led by Mina Sedrak, M.D., from the City of Hope Cancer Center in Duarte, Calif. "The presence of this information for appropriate tests may have diminished its impact when tests were inappropriate." The study was conducted as part of the Pragmatic Randomized Introduction of Cost data through the Electronic health record (PRICE) trial. It assessed the effect of displaying Medicare allowable fees for 30 inpatient laboratory tests on clinician ordering behavior over a one-year period at three Philadelphia hospitals, representing 98,529 patients and 142,921 hospital admissions. The 30 tests in the intervention were selected from a list of 30 high volume and 30 more expensive tests based on 2014 charges. Tests were then grouped by […]