Published: Wednesday, November 2, 2022
LANSING, MI – Sparrow Health System is a national leader in being transparent with patients and their families about negotiated prices for care and services, according to a new independent nationwide study of thousands of hospitals.
Sparrow was one of only 104 health systems in the U.S to earn top honors for meeting federal requirements on publishing their negotiated rates with private insurers, according to Turquoise Health’s Price Transparency report. Sparrow was the only health system in Mid-Michigan, and among only four in Michigan, to average a perfect score for transparency. Some of the top health systems in the country achieved the highest rating, such as the Mayo Clinic and University of Michigan Health.
Pricing transparency has been a major issue in healthcare in recent years and Sparrow has worked hard to lead the way in helping patients manage their medical costs and understand complex pricing information. Since January 2021, all hospitals operating in the U.S. have been required by law to provide clear, accessible pricing information online about the items and services they provide, including payer-specific reimbursement.
“Healthcare insurance and billing practices can be very confusing to our patients and their families,” said Paula Reichle, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, Sparrow Health System. “Sparrow is committed to following best practice guidelines for price transparency and assistance to patients regarding expected costs.”
As part of our commitment to providing transparency and accountability to healthcare consumers, Sparrow launched a Patient Cost Estimator portal in 2020 to help patients make informed decisions about their care. This self-service portal enables a patient to shop hundreds of services and get a customized estimate of their out-of-pocket costs, taking into consideration their specific insurance benefit coverage information where applicable.
Sparrow’s Patient Cost Estimator Portal exceeds government requirements by offering individualized patient estimates of out-of-pocket costs. To access the portal, go to Sparrow.org/EstimateYourCost.
Sparrow also launched a dedicated support line to help address any questions patients may have regarding their healthcare estimates. Sparrow’s Patient Estimates Team can be reached by email at Estimates.Team@sparrow.org or at 517.364.6070.
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Sparrow is Mid-Michigan’s premier health care organization that includes hospitals in Lansing, Charlotte, St. Johns, Ionia and Carson City as well as Physicians Health Plan, Sparrow Care Network, Sparrow Medical Group and the Michigan Athletic Club. Sparrow is affiliated with Michigan Medicine through the Sparrow Children’s Center and with Michigan State University’s three human health colleges. Through these partnerships and the dedication of our 10,000 Caregivers, Sparrow pursues a vision to be nationally recognized as a leader in quality and Patient experience. For more information, visit Sparrow.org.