Introduction: The hospital charge master, has been the heart of the healthcare revenue cycle, as it has served as the hospitals’ starting point for billing patients and payers. The CDM was made as an extensive breakdown of the cost of the care provided and in order for a hospital to correctly bill a patient for care received as every chargeable item in the hospital must be included in the master.
Methodology: The methodology for this study utilized a literature review. It consisted of academic sources, five electronic databases, academic journals, and government websites. Thirty- six sources were referenced for this literature review.
Results: The literature review illustrated examples of CDMs in hospitals and how the correct coding of a visit or procedure can mean the difference in payment for a patient. It was found that the transparency of a CDM is a positive asset to the patient and facility as well.
Discussion/Conclusion: Participation with CDM throughout hospitals has shown an increase in billing consistency with hospital facilities. The study reviewed limitations that included the search strategy such as distinguishing differences between keywords, databases used, and publication bias. Practical implications included continual implication of CDM in different hospitals around the US. This literature review suggested that CDMs has increased transparency for prices and a positive increase in quality of care
