Southcoast Health Care Charges
Understand the charges for medical procedures and services provided at Southcoast Health.
Southcoast Health is committed to increased transparency around healthcare charges for our patients.
When you’re taking control of your healthcare, it’s important to know the charges associated with your treatment plan, as well as your care plans for before and after any surgery.
What is a hospital chargemaster?
A hospital chargemaster is a comprehensive list of all the billable services and items provided by a hospital. The chargemaster lists the charges of each procedure, service, supply, prescription drug, and diagnostic test provided at the hospital. Our hospitals operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a chargemaster can contain thousands of services and related charges.
Chargemaster amounts are almost never billed to a patient or received as payment by a hospital. The chargemaster amounts are billed to an insurance company, Medicare, or MassHealth. These payers then apply their reimbursement terms or contracted rates to the services that are billed. If a patient co-payment, co-insurance, or deductible is owed, these too are most often not based on chargemaster amounts but rather the payment terms determined by the insurer or government program.
With the Care Charges* lists below, you will be able to find the Southcoast Health charge for a specific service. You can also contact our customer service team at 508-973-1212 or 844-500-1212 (toll free) to ask about billing questions.
- Charlton Memorial Hospital Standard Charges
- St. Luke’s Hospital Standard Charges
- Tobey Hospital Standard Charges
*With regards to hospital billing, the word “charge” is used to identify the comprehensive price a hospital charges for its services. A hospital’s “chargemaster” provides a full list of all billable services and items provided by the hospital, and details the charges for each procedure, service, supply, prescription drug and diagnostic test provided at a hospital-licensed facility.
Your health plan can also help you to understand your insurance coverage, which charges will be covered, how much you will be billed, information on deductibles and your expected out-of-pocket responsibility. See our Chargemaster Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD) Facility Fee – Frequently Asked Questions
The specialty care location where you received services from Southcoast Health is designated by the Department of Public Health as a licensed location of Southcoast Hospitals Group, also referred to as an off-campus hospital outpatient department. This means that even though the location is not located on a main hospital campus, it is considered part of the hospital because it is integrated with our other hospital locations and staffed by hospital providers and staff, and it meets specific government regulations to be a licensed hospital department. It also means that our patients and their insurance companies may receive two separate bills for the same visit: one for the use of the facility, and one for the professional services you receive there from a licensed health care professional.
Designation as a hospital satellite location, or HOPD, means that the location where you receive care has direct access to the hospital’s full range of services, and is licensed as part of the hospital. This approach allows the different hospital specialties involved in your patient care to be integrated and communicate seamlessly.
Yes, you can continue to receive the same high-quality care from your specialty Southcoast Health team. You will see the same providers, nurses and staff and there is no need to do anything different when coming to your appointments.
Maybe – it will depend on your coverage. It is possible that you may be responsible or partly responsible for an additional facility fee that would not apply if you were seen in a physician office (non-hospital location). We encourage you to review your health benefits or contact your insurance provider to determine what your policy covers and what out-of-pocket expenses you may incur, and what your cost-sharing obligations may be. You can always request an estimate of your fees in advance, and financial assistance if you have any concerns about your ability to pay.
Private insurance coverage varies by plan. Some privately insured patients may have cost-sharing for a Facility Fee depending on their benefits, network terms, and the services provided. We encourage you to review your health benefits or contact your insurance provider for confirmation.
While certain organizations may assess facility fees for telehealth services, depending upon where you receive care and your insurance, as a policy Southcoast Health does not charge facility fees for telehealth services. If this ever changes, we will notify patients in advance and give them the option to be seen in-person instead. We encourage you to contact us or your insurance provider for more information.
Financial assistance is available from Southcoast Health for eligible patients. Financial Counselors are available at 508-973-5070 to assist any patients who need financial assistance or have questions about their bills.
