BIS seeks public comments on draft standard for transparent hospital billing

COIMBATORE: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Coimbatore branch office, has invited hospitals, healthcare professionals and people concerned about transparency and accountability in patient-centric healthcare to share their comments on the draft standard for 'Requirements and Recommendations for Template/Format of Hospital Bills' on Oct 30.A Arivazhagan, joint director, BIS, Coimbatore branch office, said on Monday inconsistent and non-transparent hospital billing practices have long been a source of confusion and disputes between patients and healthcare providers. The absence of a uniform billing structure often results in poor clarity of charges, lack of comparability across hospitals, and difficulties in auditing and reimbursement.“Recognising these issues, the draft standard aims at bringing uniformity, transparency and accountability in the billing practices of healthcare organisations across India.

This standard prescribes the mandatory and optional elements to be included in hospital bills issued by all types of healthcare organisations — including hospitals, nursing homes, diagnostic centres, and outpatient clinics,” he said.Explaining the key features, he said the draft provides a common structure for both summary and itemised hospital bills. It mandates clear itemisation of all charges such as room rent, consultation fees, procedures, medicines, consumables, investigations, and miscellaneous expenses, and ensures that bills are legible, bilingual (in English and the regional language), and use simple terminology.

“To get the comments, we have organised a technical session on ‘Requirements and Recommendations for Template/Format of Hospital Bills’ at the Regional Science Centre on the Codissia Road on Oct 30, from 9.30am to 1pm,” he added.“A common billing template ensures comparability and standardisation in hospitals and clinics. Implementation of this standard will significantly enhance transparency, efficiency and trust in healthcare billing practices. It is an important step towards a patient-centric and accountable healthcare ecosystem in India,” he said.