The public and those representing the public such as public officials, insurance companies and some consumer groups have concluded that healthcare prices (charges) are outrageous. What can we do as an industry to restore the “trust” and “public” confidence that we are not charging outrageous rates for providing care?

It is very difficult to realize the patients that the hospitals are not overcharging them. It is mandatory for the government bodies and related organizations to increase the Awareness of patients regarding the expenses and cost of running hospitals. It is important to enhance the awareness level of patients regarding the cost of expensive machineries which are being used in different kinds of Health Care units. It is very difficult for hospitals and Healthcare units to cover the cost and expenditures related to expensive machineries. In order to create a relationship of trust with patients, it is important that the management of the health care centre should not be self oriented but there should be patient oriented. The policies formulated by the management of the hospital should be centered towards the patients instead of the profit-maximizing of the hospital

Another significant technique which can be implemented by the hospital management in order to realize the patients that they are not over charging is that the management should provide the breakdown and detail of each and every expense which they have incurred while sharing their patient. Most of the patients are concerned that hospitals charges significant amount in order to make high profit. To some extent, I can understand the feeling of patients because there are some hospitals which are doing such a healthy activities and it is a responsibility of the state and government to enhance the Awareness of patients and their family members.

It is the responsibility of the government to pass legislation under which each and every medical unit and Medical Centre will be required to provide detailed breakdown expenses to patients and their family members in order to make sure that they are not charging significant amount from patients. In this manner, patients will be able to understand that at how their payment is being utilized by the hospital management. It is a fact that surgical items and related machineries are very expensive. Hospital charges significant amount in order to cover the fixed expenditure related to expensive surgical items and related machineries. Machineries available in Laboratories are also very much expensive which are used in order to conduct different kinds of unique test. It is not possible for hospital management to utilize inferior quality machinery because it is the matter of life and death. It is important that machinery should provide accurate and relevant results. In order to attained relevant and best results, most of the hospital management it is focused towards purchasing expensive and reliable machinery which is mostly imported from other countries.

It is not possible for the hospital management to allow the patients to randomly visit Laboratories of hospital in order to satisfy the patients that the machinery which is being utilized to conduct different types of tests is very expensive and huge. This is not possible because hygiene is the most significant factor in any hospital and it is not possible to allow each and every patient and their family members to enter in Laboratories to validate the amount of machinery being used in laboratory. Another significant technique which can be implemented by the hospital management in order to enhance the trust of patients and their family members on hospitals is that patients can be provided with projected expenses figures at the time of admitting in hospital and their projected expenses can be updated on daily basis. This will help the patients to understand the flow of expenses related to their treatment and in this manner; they will not be able to point any kind of finger on the management of the hospital and will be satisfied by the payment made to hospital management.

Another significant technique which can be implemented in order to win the trust of patients is that government can launch a specific program under which comparative prices of hospital services should be available online for analysis of each and every patient. Patients will be able to compare the online prices with the actual invoice charged by the specific hospital and they will be able to validate the amount in this manner. Not to forget that there will be significant amount of challenges associated with implementation of such program.

These suggestions are not enough to win the trust of the patients and their family members but they will certainly improve the relationship between hospital management and patients as most of the patients and their family members are of a view that at most of the hospitals charge significant amount to their patients and are focused towards profit making instead of covering their cost. It is also important for the Government and related body to make sure those hospitals especially in private sector should not realize significant profit. In order to resolve this issue, government can formulate a specific profit ceiling for the private hospitals and all the private hospitals will not be allowed to cross this specific formulated profit ceiling. The profit ceiling can be categorized according to the types of facilities provided by the hospital and the amount of machineries available in the laboratory and other related equipment as well. At the end, it is never easy to satisfy the patients in hospitals as they always point fingers towards the hospital management claiming that hospitals significantly charge them I'm in order to make high profits.