Last week, CMS updated its technical implementation guide to the machine-readable file, a requirement of the Hospital Price Transparency Rule. The updated technical implementation guide—which contains data dictionaries, CSV templates, and JSON schema—reflects the new machine-readable file requirements finalized in the Medicare Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Payment System in calendar year (CY) 2024 (the Final Rule).

Under the Final Rule, hospitals are required to display their standard charge information in the machine-readable file by conforming to a CMS template layout, data specifications, and data dictionary. (For a detailed review of the finalized changes, see the November 6 edition of Health Headlines). The CMS templates are now available and allow hospitals to select a comma-separated values (CSV) “wide” format, a CSV “tall” format, or a JSON schema. Hospitals will also be required to encode—i.e., enter data items—their standard charge information in the CMS templates and conform with other specified technical instructions made available in the updated data dictionary.

Table 1 below sets forth the deadlines by which hospitals must adopt a CMS template layout and encode the required data elements. The implementation date for all other requirements is indicated in Table 2.