HYDERABAD: A recent survey conducted by LocalCircles has revealed a lack of transparency in hospital billing practices in the city, with only 56% of respondents saying they received admission bills with a detailed breakdown of charges.
According to the survey, which covered 1,826 respondents, only 56% (1,022 people) said their hospital bills provided itemised details of consumables, services, consultations, and facilities following admission to a hospital or nursing home in the past three years. Another 28% (512 respondents) said they received bills with a partial breakup, but without specific details on consumables and services.
The remaining 16% (292 respondents) reported that their bills did not contain any breakup at all, mentioning only package charges.
Recently, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), through its Health, Fitness and Sports Services Sectional Committee, issued Indian Standard IS 19493:2025 to establish a uniform, transparent, and patient-centric framework for hospital billing across the country. The standard mandates that hospital bills be uniform in format, clearly worded, fully itemised, and legible in both physical and digital formats.
The new standard aims to address long-standing concerns over unclear, inconsistent, and non-transparent billing practices that often lead to patient confusion, disputes, and erosion of trust in the healthcare system.
However, the survey found that many hospitals are yet to comply with the BIS guidelines. It also highlighted low public awareness about the BIS standards governing detailed hospital billing.
When asked whether the government should introduce a common billing standard mandating itemised listings of all products, consumables, services, facilities, and associated costs, 82% of 924 respondents said such a standard should be implemented.
The BIS-prescribed format also requires hospital bills to comply with GST and other applicable legal provisions and to transparently list all services, consumables, medicines, room charges, and related costs.