Pricing

At Stormont-Vail HealthCare, our mission is Working Together to Improve the Health of our Community. Part of that mission is helping our patients understand the complex issues surrounding health care, including hospital pricing and charges. We are committed to providing patients and family members with information that will help them understand their hospital charges.

What You Should Know When Looking at Charge Information

What a patient owes for a hospital procedure or service can vary greatly, depending on health insurance coverage, eligibility for state or federal programs and each individual’s own personal situation. 

1. "Charge" is not the same as what you may owe. "Charge" is the amount billed for a service.
2. All professional charges (surgeons, radiologists, anesthesiologists, pathologists and emergency room physician, etc.) are billed separately and are not included in the average charges shown.
3. Because each person's health needs are different, the average charges shown will depend on the individual's specific situation. Each patient's circumstances are different, and a patient's charge will not necessarily be the same as the average charge. For that reason, we have shown the upper and lower charge range for the procedures listed. The majority of procedures will fall into this range.
4. If you have Health Insurance
   Health Insurance will pay for many of your health services, but not all of them.
   Begin by contacting your insurance company to understand your insurance policy's deductible, co-payment, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket levels. To avoid out-of-network penalties, check to see if you are required to use hospitals that are in your insurance company's network. In addition, ask if you need to obtain pre-certification or referral approvals prior to your hospital service. This will help you avoid your policy's penalties and additional amounts owed when the required approval is not obtained.
   Some insurance companies negotiate discounts with hospitals on behalf of the patients they insure. The discounts will vary among insurance companies.
5. If you have Medicare:
   Medicare will pay for many of your health services, but not all of them.
   Medicare does not pay hospitals based on charges, but instead pays according to pre-established rates depending on the services you receive. Your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance are also pre-established based on the services you receive.
   If you have a Medicare supplemental insurance policy, it may pay all or a portion of your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance.
   Special rules apply if you or your spouse has health insurance coverage through your employer.
   Special rules also apply if you have coverage through a Medicare Managed Care plan. Contact your Medicare Managed Care plan to understand your deductible, co-payment, coinsurance and maximum out-of-pocket levels. To avoid out-of-network penalties, check to see if you are required to use hospitals that are in the Medicare Managed Care plan's network.
   You can contact Medicare at: http://www.medicare.gov/
6. If you have Medicaid or Medicaid Managed Care Plan:
   Medicaid will pay for many of your health services, but not all of them.
   Medicaid does not pay hospitals based on charges, but instead pays according to pre-established rates depending on the services you receive. A few services have minimal pre-established co-pays that are your responsibility to pay. Co-pays will not apply if you are in a Medicaid Managed Care Plan.
7. If you are Uninsured:
   If you have a financial need, a variety of financial assistance options are available that may help pay all or a portion of your hospital charges. In some cases, you will be asked to provide income and other asset information to determine whether or not you qualify for full or partial financial assistance. To obtain more information, please call Customer Service at (785) 354-6130. If you are located outside of the Topeka area, call (866) 327-3475. For more information on financial arrangements, click here.

We have a Customer Service Line that you can call to obtain information on a variety of procedures and services offered at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center. We have customer service representatives who have been trained to assist you through the complicated process of figuring out the charges associated with your hospital services.

Call the Customer Service Line for information on hospital charge estimates at (785) 354-6130 or (866) 327-3475, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Charge information is for informational purposes only and should not be used solely when making health care decisions. Average charges shown are based on data for the most recently reported four calendar quarters. The current average charges may be different because charges for very recent services are not yet available.

Some of the more common hospital charges are listed below.

Outpatient Procedures--Average Charges*