State-sponsored price transparency programs for ophthalmic services

Objectives: To characterize the information provided by state-sponsored price transparency programs and describe price variation for ophthalmic services.Methods: We searched for state-sponsored price transparency programs and reviewed all available information on ophthalmic services.Results: In total, 55% (6/11) of state-sponsored price transparency programs included ophthalmic services. Three provided nonfinancial value metrics, five provided prices by clinician organization, and none reported out-of-pocket costs, insurance costs, or prices by insurers for ophthalmic services. The median within-state price ratio was 3.65 (interquartile ratio [IQR]: 2.04-7.91). Mean prices for cataract surgery ranged from $2575 to $5097 and from $873 and $27,801.66 for retinal detachment repair.Discussion: Most of the eleven state-sponsored price transparency programs included pricing information for ophthalmic services. No programs provided specific out-of-pocket costs, insurance costs, or prices by insurers for ophthalmic services. There was substantial variation in prices for all included ophthalmic services within and between states.

Automated summary

Most state-sponsored price transparency programs include pricing information for ophthalmic services, but specific out-of-pocket costs, insurance costs, or prices by insurers for ophthalmic services are not provided. There is substantial price variation for ophthalmic services both within and between states.