We know billing and insurance matters can be stressful, but we want to offer as much information as possible to make the process stress-free. The nationally based Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) developed the guide below to aid patients in understanding their hospital charges.
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(Published by the Healthcare Financial Management Association [HFMA])
Hospital charges are the amounts set before any discounts. Hospitals are required by the federal government to utilize uniform charges as the starting point for all bills. Charges are based on what type of care was provided and can differ from patient to patient for the same service depending on any complications or different treatment provided due to the patient's health. Therefore, actual charges for a specific patient will differ from the listed standard charges.
These charges represent the standard charges for procedures and diagnosis-related groups. The charge is for care without complications.
Actual charges may be different for specific patients due to the following:
Illinois rural healthcare facilities, such as Horizon Health, provide discounts and financial assistance to patients in need. The amount of assistance depends on several factors, including income and family size. These discounts are available by completing a financial need assistance application. For additional information, please contact the Hospital’s Financial Assistance Coordinator: (217) 466-4257. Learn more about Financial Assistance.
Requests for cost estimates should be directed to Central Scheduling, (217) 466-4343. Cost estimates are not a quote, or a guarantee, of what the charges will be for a specific patient's care. Learn more about Up-Front Cost Estimates.
An important component for choosing a health care provider is determining quality of care. Your doctor can be a helpful resource in choosing where to obtain care. Further Medicare hospital-specific quality outcome measures are located on the Hospital Compare website.
To compare hospital median charges for nearly 50 major diagnoses, quality and patient satisfaction metrics in Illinois, visit the Illinois Hospital Report Card.