How Atalaya works
The free check proves where your file stands. The product keeps it there. You find out your file broke from an angry patient, or a warning letter. Never in time. The rule barely changes; your own file drifts out from under you.
First, the free check
Plain and in order. We show you your own hospital’s public file, checked live against the rule. Nothing here is a verdict, and nothing is invented.
- 01
Scope before check
We first resolve your search to a hospital covered by 45 CFR 180. A physician group, clinic, or surgery center is not subject to the rule, so a missing file is not a violation, we say so plainly instead of inventing a finding.
- 02
Locate the real file
We look for your cms-hpt.txt at your domain and known parent-system domains, then follow it to the machine-readable file. We only call a file absent after every real location has been checked and answered.
- 03
Run the live validator
We fetch the file, read its header, and run the CMS Schema v3.0 validator against 45 CFR 180.50: required elements, the CY2026 percentile and allowed-amount fields, version, and last-updated date.
- 04
Report facts, cited to the rule
Every finding appears in full, status, the rule it maps to, the file URL checked, and when we checked. If your file is clean, we say clean and point to what a public scan can't see.
Then, we keep it conforming
The check is a snapshot. The product is a loop. We watch your file against the live rule and regenerate it when it drifts, so what’s published stays current without anyone at the hospital touching it.
- 01
Watch
We watch your published price file against the current rule, continuously, not once.
- 02
Detect
When your data changes or the rule changes, we catch the drift, the file falling out of conformance.
- 03
Regenerate
We regenerate and republish a conforming file, on its own, so what's public stays current and valid.
Regenerates automatically
Format, schema (v3.0), the cms-hpt.txt pointer, file naming, required fields, and republishing with a current date regenerate automatically. So do negotiated rate changes once Atalaya is fed your source of truth.
Scoped setup, not push-button
The 2026 percentile allowed-amount fields, derived from your rolling 835 remittance data, are scoped setup data engineering inside your revenue-cycle system, not push-button regeneration.
We keep your file current and conforming. You attest. CMS decides.
Our promise
Facts, never verdicts
We report your file's public posture, cited to the rule. We never tell you that you are compliant, safe, or guaranteed.
One hospital at a time
A check resolves to exactly one hospital, your own. There is no list, no map of many, no comparison. That is the product, not the front door.
No invented findings
Count and severity come from a live validator run. If your file is clean, we say clean. We never manufacture a problem to sell a fix.
Verified-current
Every finding comes from a check run against your live file at the moment you ask, never a stale report on a shelf.
Exposure is illustrative
Any dollar figure is a potential, conditional number anchored to published penalty notices. It is never a prediction that you will be fined.
Common questions
- What is 45 CFR 180?
- 45 CFR 180 is the federal Hospital Price Transparency rule. It requires each hospital to publish a single machine-readable file of standard charges, gross, discounted cash, payer-specific negotiated, and de-identified minimum and maximum, plus meet formatting and attestation requirements. CMS enforces it with civil monetary penalties.
- What does 'verified-current' mean?
- Every finding comes from a check run against your live file at the moment you ask, cached only briefly. We never serve a stale report.
- What does Atalaya regenerate automatically?
- Format, schema v3.0, the cms-hpt.txt pointer, file naming, required-field presence, and republishing with a current date all regenerate automatically. Negotiated rate changes regenerate once Atalaya is fed your source of truth. The 2026 percentile allowed-amount fields, derived from rolling 835 remittance data, are a scoped setup engagement inside your revenue-cycle system, not push-button.
- Will Atalaya tell me if I'm compliant?
- No. We keep your file current and conforming. You attest. CMS decides. We report public posture as facts cited to the rule and never render a compliance verdict.