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Price Transparency

Citizens Memorial Hospital (CMH) is committed to being transparent about our charges and services. Review  Citizens Memorial Hospital's Shoppable Services - services you can schedule in advance. You can also download the machine readable file. 
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This comprehensive list of charges for each inpatient and outpatient service or item CMH provides is known as a chargemaster. Certain charges, such as for drugs and medical implants, are updated as the underlying cost of the item changes. In addition, there may have been a price increase since these files were created.  Hence, the charge for an item you receive may have changed since this list was last updated. For more information about hospital chargemasters, please read the Chargemaster frequently asked questions.

Note: The chargemaster is a comprehensive standard price list for the services provided by CMH.  The charges listed are generally not the amount a patient will pay.

The charges are uniform for every patient served by CMH, regardless of insurance status. These hospital charges rarely reflect the expected out-of-pocket expense for a specific hospital service. Your own charges and out-of-pocket expenses will depend on one or more of the following factors:

  • The actual patient care services received
  • The terms of your insurance coverage, and/or:
  • Your eligibility for financial assistance.

If you do not have health insurance, you may be eligible for reduced costs under CMH’s Financial Assistance Policy.  For a more accurate estimation of out-of-pocket expenses, please contact your insurer or the CMH Customer Service Department at 417-328-6508 or 800-326-0508.

Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your health care will cost.

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have certain types of health care coverage or who are not using certain types of health care coverage an estimate of their bill for health care items and services before those items or services are provided.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any health care items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment and hospital fees.

To request an estimate from CMH, contact CMH Customer Service at 417-328-6508 or 1-800-326-0508.

Response Time

  • If you schedule a health care item or service at least three business days in advance, make sure your health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within one business day after scheduling.
  • If you schedule a health care item or service at least 10 business days in advance, make sure your health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within three business days after scheduling.
  • You can also ask for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you do, make sure the health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within three business days after you ask.

Disputing a Bill

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more for any provider or facility than your Good Faith Estimate from that provider or facility, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate and the bill.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov or call 1-800-985-3059.

Chargemaster FAQ

A chargemaster is a comprehensive list of charges for each inpatient and outpatient service or item provided by a hospital. This includes each test, exam, surgical procedure or any other service. Given the many services provided by hospitals, a chargemaster contains 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 and those insurers then apply contracted rates to the services that are billed. In situations where a patient does not have insurance, our hospital has financial assistance policies that apply discounts to the amounts charged.

Health insurance companies contract with hospitals to care for their customers. Hospitals are paid the insurance company’s contract rate, which generally is less than the amount listed on the chargemaster. The insurance company’s contract rate, not the chargemaster, is the basis for determining the patient’s actual out of pocket costs. As an example, a hospital may charge $1,000 for a particular service, while the insurer’s contract rate may be $800. If the patient’s insurance plan indicates the patient is responsible for 20 percent of the contract rate, the patient would owe $160 ($800 x 20 percent).

The list of charges is the same for all patients. However, the total charges for an individual patient often vary from one patient to another for a number of reasons, including:

  • How long it takes to perform the service or how long it takes you to recover in the hospital
  • Whether the service or procedure you receive is more or less difficult than expected
  • What kinds of medication you require
  • Whether you experience complications and need additional treatment
  • Other health conditions you may have that may affect your care

Chargemaster information is not particularly helpful for patients to estimate what health care services are going to cost them out of their own pocket. The charge listed in the chargemaster is generally not the amount a patient will pay. If you have health insurance, the amount you will be billed and expected to pay for your services depends on your specific health insurance coverage and your insurance company's contract with the hospital. If you do not have health insurance, you may be eligible for reduced costs under the hospital’s financial assistance policy, or you may be eligible for Medicaid coverage.

The hospital’s chargemaster does not include charges for services provided by the doctor (or doctors) who treat you while you are at the hospital. You may receive separate bills from the hospital and the doctors involved in your care. Here is a partial list of health care providers who may bill you separately:

  • Your personal doctor, if he/she sees you in the hospital
  • The surgeon who performs your procedure
  • The anesthesiologist who works with the surgeon
  • The radiologist who reads your x-rays or other imaging
  • The pathologist who reads your lab tests
  • Other doctors who may be consulted by your doctor during your time in the hospital

If you would like more information about the chargemaster, what your care will cost you or Citizens Memorial Hospital’s financial assistance policy, please contact the CMH Customer Service Department at 417-328-6508 or 800-326-0508. Please consult with your insurance provider 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.

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