By Dirk Rowley
May 5th, 2022
With the goal of lowering healthcare costs, the National Hospital Price Transparency Conference took place Thursday in Indianapolis before an in-person audience of 150 and another 300 virtual attendees from 39 states.
The recurring question: does higher price mean higher quality?
Keynote speaker Hunter Kellett of Arnold Ventures began the day telling employers that growing healthcare costs were a “tax on your business” and insurance costs were like buying “employees a new car every year.”
Kellett said hospital quality does not explain high prices but pointed to other factors such as consolidation and market share; as hospital systems buy doctors’ practices, patients are left with fewer competitive options.