Disclosures required of health care providers and hospitals – Wis. Stat. Ann. § 146.903

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services must identify ways for providers to calculate median billed charges.  In conducting its duties, the Department must develop performance measures to assess the quality of health care services, guide the collection of data to develop the measures, report the results of the quality assessment, and share best practices with other organizations. 

Providers are also required to post a conspicuous sign in a public area of the office stating that consumers have a right to receive charge information.  If a patient/consumer requests, a health care provider must disclose the median billed charge to the patient within a reasonable amount of time, at no cost to the patient.  Health care providers that also submit data to a health information organization also have duties to their patients.  If a patient requests billing information, if the provider also submits data to the health information organization, the provider must disclose the reported information regarding health care quality to the patient.  The provider may do so by giving the patient a paper copy or giving the patient an internet address.  If a provider submits data to more than one health information organization, and the organization reports on comparative quality data, the provider must only make available public information reported by one of the health information organizations to the consumer/patient.  The law prescribes some exceptions to these disclosure rules based on the provider’s practice size.

Hospitals must prepare a document that outlines charge information.  Hospitals are required to post a conspicuous sign in a public area stating that consumers have a right to receive charge information Hospitals that submit data to a health information organization must disclose the publicly reported information regarding health care quality compared to others, to the patient.  The hospital may do so by giving the patient a paper copy or giving the patient an internet address.  If the hospital submits data to more than one health information organization, and the organization reports on comparative quality data, the hospital must only make available public information reported by one of the health information organizations on a specific disease group to the consumer/patient.

Violations of this law will subject the entity to a fine of not more than $250 per violation.