This hospital determines its standard charges for patient services with the use of a chargemaster system, which is a list of charges for the components of patient care that go into every patient’s bill. These are the baseline rates for items and services provided at this hospital.
The chargemaster is similar in concept to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) on a product. It is the starting price for each service performed and item used in an individual patient’s treatment at the hospital. The chargemaster rates are updated from time to time to accurately reflect the hospital’s expenses to operate.
Standard charges shown in the files are not binding and do not necessarily reflect the out-of-pocket costs that a patient may pay. Government insurance plans such as Medicare and Medicaid do not pay the chargemaster rates, but rather have their own set rates which hospitals are obligated to accept. Commercial insurance payments are based on contract negotiations with payors and may or may not reflect the standard charges. The cost of treatment also may be impacted by variables involved in a patient’s actual care, such as specific equipment or supplies required, the length of time spent in surgery or recovery, additional tests, or any changes in care or unexpected conditions or complications that arise. Moreover, the chargemaster list only includes charges from the hospital. It may not reflect the charges for all medications, medical supplies or physicians involved in caring for a patient. We encourage you to use our helpful price estimator to determine your out-of-pocket costs.
Patients with health insurance coverage should contact their health plan for specific information regarding potential out-of-pocket costs and financial responsibility for health care services at the hospital. Patients who do not have insurance or are concerned about paying for their services should contact the hospital to discuss the hospital’s financial assistance policy, charges, alternative pricing and payment terms. More information about Samaritan Health Services’ financial assistance policies is available at samhealth.org/FinancialAssistance.
You can download a comprehensive machine-readable file of our standard charges for procedures, medications and supplies, for each of the hospitals below:
There are a variety of factors that can influence the cost of care at a hospital. Download the pdf below to see the Cost of Care infographic in its entirety.
