Private hospitals, clinics, and other medical establishments across Maharashtra are now required to display fee schedules for their services and facilities in both Marathi and English at clearly visible locations, under a government directive aimed at reducing disputes over patient billing.
Under a Government Resolution issued on Friday, the public health department directed authorities to pursue both administrative and legal proceedings against any institution found in breach of the rule. The document also set out that fee schedules and available facilities covered by Schedule III of the Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Rules, 2021, are to be posted in a location within the premises where patients and visitors can readily see them.
Under the directive, patients and their families would receive upfront information about what treatment is likely to cost, giving them a clearer basis for financial planning and reducing the disputes that often arise once bills arrive.
Whenever fee schedules reflect new charges, the corresponding rate lists are to be brought into alignment. Rate schedules covering both Marathi and English versions are to be posted at locations within hospital grounds where patients and visitors can readily see and reach them, and any revision to the charges is to be reflected in the list without delay, according to the Government Resolution.
Hospitals are directed by the resolution to display fee schedules and treatment package costs where patients can readily access them, with staff at registration, enquiry, and billing desks assigned to walk patients and their families through the relevant charges — an arrangement described in the directive as designed to address cost-related questions before they escalate into formal disputes.
Under rules governing medical and Ayush visa holders, any facility providing care to patients who have entered the country on those visas is directed to post the designated pricing packages that apply to that group.
Under the Government Resolution, bodies holding authority over the registration, regulation, and oversight of hospitals are directed to carry out periodic assessments of adherence to Schedule III of the Maharashtra Nursing Homes Registration Rules, 2021, and to pursue appropriate administrative and legal remedies where any establishment is found to be in breach.
District civil surgeons and district and municipal health officers are responsible for making private hospitals and other medical establishments falling under their jurisdiction aware of the circular and for ensuring it takes effect.
Obligatory rate-posting for hospital services was already in place before this measure, though the department indicated the new order draws on a directive the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued on 12 October.
