Does Price Transparency Change Physician Ordering of Inpatient Lab Tests?

Showing the price of laboratory tests when they're ordered might be a way to reduce the number of tests ordered, on the assumption that it might prompt physicians to reconsider whether a test is needed. Previous studies have been limited and shown mixed results. In this study, which involved more than 98,000 patients (≈143,000 hospital admissions) in three Philadelphia hospitals, 60 groups of inpatient blood tests that are common (e.g., complete blood count, basic metabolic panel), expensive, or both were randomized to be shown with or without prices in the electronic medical record at the time of ordering. Prices were Medicare reimbursement rates; actual costs to patients could not be determined.

In both the intervention group (prices shown…