Parent Preferences for Transparency of Their Child’s Hospitalization Costs

Health care in the US is often expensive for families; however, there is little transparency in the cost of medical services. The extent to which parents want cost transparency in their children’s care is not well characterized. This study from HIP Investigator Dr. Ryan Coller was to explore the preferences and experiences of parents of hospitalized children regarding the discussion and consideration of health care costs in the inpatient care of their children.

This cross-sectional multicenter survey study included 6 geographically diverse university-affiliated US children’s hospitals from November 3, 2017, to November 8, 2018. They found that most parents want to discuss their child’s costs during an acute hospitalization. Discussions of health care costs may be an important, relatively unexplored component of family-centered care. However, these discussions rarely occur, indicating a tremendous opportunity to engage and support families in this issue.