Cathy Stratton

The New Hampshire Medical Society has concerns about this bill. While we strongly support transparency in health care and ensuring that patients are informed and empowered in making decisions about their care, several elements of this proposal raise significant questions. Many physicians are employed by hospitals or health systems and are not directly involved in, nor do they oversee, the billing process. As drafted, it is unclear whether physicians could be held responsible for the actions of hospital billing departments over which they have no authority or control. We believe the bill requires greater clarity to avoid unintended liability and confusion. We are also under the impression that much of the information contemplated in this legislation is already available to patients through electronic patient portals and upon request. If transparency requirements are already being met through existing mechanisms, it is unclear what problem this legislation is intended to solve. For these reasons, we respectfully oppose this bill and urge the Committee to vote ITL. We encourage careful consideration of whether additional statutory requirements are necessary if the stated goals of transparency are already being achieved.