Understanding Hospital Charges
We strive to be completely transparent about the cost of our services. For questions, please contact your insurance provider or our financial assistance department at 203-276-7572.
What is Price Transparency?
Stamford Health is committed to being transparent about its negotiated rates. Understanding the cost of health care can help patients compare prices and prepare for expected costs. The best way to know what your expected costs are going to be is to call us at 203-276-4483 or contact your insurance plan.
What do the costs that are listed represent?
Many factors contribute to the cost of health care. At Stamford Health, we provide high-quality, expert care, from compassionate staff in a cutting-edge facility. Our rates help us to continually invest in new technologies, advanced clinical services, community-based programs and partnerships, and our employees. Our rates also help to offset our losses from the uncompensated care we provide to those patients that are under and uninsured.
Stamford Health is also committed to complying with with federal and state regulations requiring us to disclose our charges and rates. Below you will find a number of regulatorily mandated tools required by federal and state law.
What do the costs that are listed represent?
Many factors contribute to the cost of health care. At Stamford Health, we provide high-quality, expert care, from compassionate staff in a cutting-edge facility. Our rates help us to continually invest in new technologies, advanced clinical services, community-based programs and partnerships, and our employees. Our rates also help to offset our losses from the uncompensated care we provide to those patients that are under and uninsured.
Stamford Health is also committed to complying with with federal and state regulations requiring us to disclose our charges and rates. Below you will find a number of regulatorily mandated tools required by federal and state law.
Cost Estimator Tool
What is a Cost Estimator?
The Cost Estimator shows Stamford Health's shoppable services that can be scheduled in advance, by a patient directly. Shoppable Services are defined as our 300 most frequently used services and items that patients can schedule ahead of time.
How did you chose the services that are represented in the Cost Estimator Tool?
We chose the services by researching what 300 services and items are most frequently used, that patients can schedule ahead of time. If the service you are looking for is not represented in our tool, please call 203-276-4483.
Are the charges listed the price I will pay out of pocket?
Charges identified in the cost estimator tool may not reflect total out-of-pocket costs. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
Important Notice:
This estimate covers the hospital charges only, and does not include bills for professional services, i.e. Independent Physicians, Emergency Department Physicians or Ambulance Fees, Radiologists, Pathologists, Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care Physicians. If you have any questions regarding this estimate, or to make a payment; please contact Patient Registration at 203-276-4483.
The Cost Estimator shows Stamford Health's shoppable services that can be scheduled in advance, by a patient directly. Shoppable Services are defined as our 300 most frequently used services and items that patients can schedule ahead of time.
How did you chose the services that are represented in the Cost Estimator Tool?
We chose the services by researching what 300 services and items are most frequently used, that patients can schedule ahead of time. If the service you are looking for is not represented in our tool, please call 203-276-4483.
Are the charges listed the price I will pay out of pocket?
Charges identified in the cost estimator tool may not reflect total out-of-pocket costs. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
Important Notice:
This estimate covers the hospital charges only, and does not include bills for professional services, i.e. Independent Physicians, Emergency Department Physicians or Ambulance Fees, Radiologists, Pathologists, Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care Physicians. If you have any questions regarding this estimate, or to make a payment; please contact Patient Registration at 203-276-4483.
Hospital Charges
Stamford Hospital is committed to being transparent about our charges. The information below contains the charges for all services and items provided by the hospital. The charges are uniform for all patients served by the hospital. However, the hospital charges rarely reflect the expected out-of-pocket expense for a specific hospital service.
Your charges and out-of-pocket expenses will depend on one or more of the following:
- the actual patient care services received
- the terms of your insurance coverage, and/or
- your eligibility for financial assistance
Chargemaster
The Chargemaster, also known as the charge description master (CDM), or the pricemaster, is a comprehensive listing of items billable to a hospital patient or a patient's health insurance provider.
Diagnostic Related Groups
Diagnosis Related Group (DRG), a diagnosis-related group is a patient classification system that standardizes prospective payment to hospitals and encourages cost containment initiatives. In general, a DRG payment covers all charges associated with an inpatient stay from the time of admission to discharge.
Machine Readable File
What is a machine readable file?
The term “machine readable” means that this document can be read by a computer. These types of files are generally used by researchers and professionals. It includes four types of charges:
- Stamford Health’s gross charges or “chargemaster” (meaning the amount it charges for each service and item that does not reflect a negotiated rate)
- Payer-specific negotiated charges, (meaning the amount Stamford Health has negotiated to pay for services and items with third-party payors such as insurance companies)
- The minimum and maximum charges, for each service and item
- The cash discount provided, if any, for each service and item.
How is it used?
The file includes various charge information. It is prepared in a file format to be most easily used by researchers and professionals.
Are the charges listed the price I will pay out of pocket?
Charges identified in the machine readable file may not reflect total out-of-pocket costs. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
-
WHAT IS HOSPITAL PRICE TRANSPARENCY?Stamford Health is committed to being transparent about its charges. Information provided here is intended to help our patients understand the charges for services and items that we offer. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
-
WHY DOES IT MATTER?Understanding the cost of health care can help patients compare prices and prepare for expected costs.
-
HOW DO I USE THIS INFORMATION?Patients can search for charges associated with services and items they may need. All hospitals are required by federal law to share the same information.
-
WHAT DO THE COSTS THAT ARE LISTED REPRESENT?Many factors contribute to the cost of health care. At Stamford Health, we provide high-quality, expert care, from compassionate staff in a cutting-edge facility. Our rates help us to continually invest in new technologies, advanced clinical services, community-based programs and partnerships, and our employees. Our rates also help to offset our losses from the uncompensated care we provide to those patients that are under and uninsured.
Shoppable Services
-
WHAT ARE SHOPPABLE SERVICES?Shoppable services are those services that can be scheduled in advance, by a patient directly. Stamford Health has provided a chart for many frequently used services and items that patients schedule ahead of time.
-
HOW DID YOU CHOSE THE SERVICES THAT ARE REPRESENTED UNDER SHOPPABLE SERVICES?Stamford Health has provided charges for its most utilized services.
-
HOW DO I USE THE COST ESTIMATOR TOOL?Patients can look for services or items they may need to see Stamford Health’s charges.
-
ARE THE PRICES LISTED THE PRICE I WILL PAY OUT OF POCKET?Charges identified in the shoppable services chart may not reflect total out-of-pocket costs. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
Machine Readable
-
WHAT IS THIS?The term “machine readable” means that this document can be read by a computer. It offers researchers and professionals the opportunity to see four types of charges: (1) Stamford Health’s gross charges or “chargemaster” (meaning the amount it charges for each service and item that does not reflect a negotiated rate); (2) payer-specific negotiated charges, (meaning the amount Stamford Health has negotiated to pay for services and items with third-party payors such as insurance companies); (3) the minimum and maximum charges, for each service and item; and (4) the cash discount provided, if any, for each service and item.
-
HOW IS IT USED?Researchers and professionals can download the file and look for various standard charge information. The file is organized with individual services and items listed in the left most column followed by the standard charge information for each third-party payer if that payer has a negotiated rate for the specific service or item listed.
-
ARE THE CHARGES LISTED THE PRICE I WILL PAY OUT OF POCKET?Charges identified in the machine readable file may not reflect total out-of-pocket costs. Patients are encouraged to contact their insurance plans, if applicable, to further understand charges for services and items.
Support
-
WHO DO I CALL TO HELP ME WITH FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE?For a fuller understanding of your estimated out-of-pocket expenses, you should contact your insurer or the hospital’s patient financial assistance department at 203-276-7572.
-
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE INSURANCE?We provide care for everyone that enters through our doors, regardless of his or her ability to pay. If you're concerned about paying for your care, we may be able to help. Our team is open to working with you to come up with a manageable payment plan that fits your needs. Learn more about our Financial Assistance Program.