HAZARD, Ky. — Appalachian Regional Healthcare has issued a public response after one of its hospitals received a letter warning it that it faced fines for not complying with federal price transparency requirements.
Hazard ARH was one of eight Kentucky hospitals that received a notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the Trump administration warned more than 500 hospitals nationwide about transparency requirements.
The other Kentucky hospitals listed are:
- Pikeville Medical Center
- Eastern State Hospital in Lexington
- Marshall County Hospital in Benton
- Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Lakeview in Elizabethtown
- Cumberland Hall Hospital in Hopkinsville
- UofL Health Jewish Hospital in Louisville
The hospitals were warned that they faced fines of up to $2 million a year if they did not post the cost of medical procedures on their websites.
In its response, ARH says it has complied with the requirement and blamed its receipt of a letter on a technical issue.
“The pricing information referenced in the CMS notice was available on our website at the time of the review as well as pricing information for all our hospital locations in Kentucky and West Virginia,” the company said in a statement posted on its Facebook page. “The issues identified by CMS in relation to the Hazard ARH report involved technical aspects of how certain files were presented and formatted, and not the absence of pricing information itself. Upon becoming aware of the issues, we corrected the files and have taken this as an opportunity to strengthen how this information is presented and accessible to the public.
ARH says it is committed to remaining in compliance with the transparency requirements and to providing patients with information about the cost of their care.
As reported on Thursday, Pikeville Medical Center has also issued a public response to the letters.
