Price transparency rule proves more complicated than originally thought
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(WSIL) -Federal law now mandates the hospital price transparency rule so consumers can compare and shop healthcare services.
The rule says that hospitals must make a public list of standard charges, and have a list of 300 shoppable services in a publicly available consumer friendly format.
But for the hospitals and their patients, it isn t as simple as it sounds.
When the Affordable Care Act was first introduced, hospitals were required to post their charge master, which is a hospital s list of fees for different services.
The Price Transparency Rule is considered the next step.
CARBONDALEÂ â Just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, health care workers began forming lines near the concession area inside Southern Illinois Universityâs Banterra Center.
Some filed to the left and others to the right as they made their way to tables manned by Jackson County Health Department staff who were administering the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine.
Dr. Andy Riffey, a physician at SIU Student Health Services, was first in line to receive his. âIâm excited about it,â he said after rolling up his sleeve for the injection procedure that lasted less than 30 seconds.
Riffey was at the front of the line because heâd volunteered to help out with the Jackson County Health Departmentâs vaccine clinic after receiving his shot. He was one of two physicians assigned to a waiting area near the door where people were advised to sit for 15 to 30 minutes post-vaccination in the event they would develop a rare allergic reaction or other adverse effects.
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A year ago, most of us had never heard of a coronavirus. After the first of the year, we began hearing about a deadly novel coronavirus in China. By March, effects of the new virus had reached Southern Illinois as Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a disaster declaration and began issuing executive orders in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The disaster declaration for Illinois was issued March 9. Executive orders closed restaurants and bars to indoor dining on March 16. Schools closed March 17. On March 21, we were under an order to stay home that closed all but essential businesses, and that was just the beginning.
CARBONDALE â Health care workers across Southern Illinois were vaccinated this week, bringing a rare moment of celebration for fatigued workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in this region.
On Thursday, Southern Illinois Healthcare employees who were in the first cohort to receive shots were greeted by clapping and cheering colleagues as they made their way inside. The shots were given at the old Great Skate Train building that now serves as SIH s human resources training center. It s been almost a party-like atmosphere, said SIH CEO Rex Budde.
Jenny Prest, a registered nurse, blared Pump up the Jam in her car on the way to receive her shot, wanting to get in the right mood for her part in the historic moment.