Know the Cost of Your Healthcare

Providing this visibility is just another way we exhibit our vision and mission of providing excellent patient care. In keeping with this promise, we are providing you with two ways to review our services, our prices, and an estimate of what portion you may be responsible for these services.

The pricing estimator allows you to calculate your out-of-pocket costs for upcoming procedures and get an accurate cost estimate for your procedure. This estimate is personalized based on your health insurance plan, but is still only an estimate. Select your procedure, location, and even compare pricing for multiple services.

The patient price list allows you to review all services provided by Augusta University Health System, what we charge, and how the insurance companies that we are contracted with may reimburse these services.

 

Please note the following important points when reviewing these charge lists:

Augusta University Health System charges the same for all patients but, depending on payment plans negotiated with individual health insurers your responsibility may vary.  We recommend checking with your insurance provider for the most accurate estimate of out of pocket costs which is based on your individual plan and your insurance company’s negotiated contract with AUHS.

The charges on the list do not reflect the amount you will pay out of pocket. The amount a patient pays is based on many factors, including health insurance, benefit plans, applicable discounts, and services provided based on each patient’s unique needs.

Although we update quarterly, there are frequent additions and changes to the charge list. Therefore, the price listed may not reflect the most current charge items or charge amounts of this facility. This could result in receiving a bill for services provided by our facility that may not reflect the charges listed here.

The information here contains only charges for facility and does not include related charges for physician office fees, clinic charges, radiologists, pathologists, or any other professional service that may be provided in conjunction with our hospital services.

Additionally, if a patient does not have insurance or is underinsured, please contact one of our financial counselors at the numbers listed below to determine eligibility for our financial assistance program.

• Augusta University (706) 721-8954 
• Roosevelt Rehabilitation (706) 655-5456

Patient Pricing FAQs

 

What is Price Transparency?

"Price Transparency" is the term used to describe initiatives in the healthcare industry to provide meaningful pricing information to consumers. The healthcare industry is often complex and difficult for consumers to navigate. Price transparency is a means of ensuring that you, the consumer, will know how much healthcare will cost in advance and allow you to make fully informed and value-conscious choices.

What is a chargemaster?

A chargemaster is a comprehensive list of standard charges for each inpatient and outpatient service or item provided by a hospital – each test, exam, surgical procedure, room charge, etc. There are many services provided by hospitals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Therefore, a chargemaster contains thousands of services and related charges.

Chargemaster amounts are almost never billed to a patient nor do those amounts reflect what is received as payment by a hospital from an insurance carrier or patient. The amounts are billed to an insurance company and processed under the contractual agreement established. In situations where a patient does not have insurance, Augusta University Health has financial assistance policies that may apply discounts to the amounts charged.

Is the charge the same as what the patient pays?

Chargemaster information is not particularly helpful for patients to estimate what their health care services are going to cost them out of 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 Augusta University Healthcare’s financial assistance policy, or you may be eligible for Medicaid coverage.

How much will I have to pay out of pocket? 

Generally, a patient with health insurance will pay a deducible, copayment, and/or coinsurance, as set by their health plan. Health insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial health plans, and worker’s compensation, do not pay charges. Instead, they pay a set price that has been negotiated in advance. The patient is then responsible for the out of pocket amount set by the health plan.

What do the following health care terms mean?

Deductible: Amount the patient must pay for services before the health plan begins to pay. The deductible may not apply to all services.

Copayment: Fixed amount, e.g., $20.00, the patient pays for covered health care services, like an office visit or prescription.

Coinsurance: Percentage the patient pays for covered health services, e.g., 20% of the total bill after insurance processes.

Can I get an exact pricing quote?

Unfortunately, no. We will do our best to provide you with a pricing range based on our hospital’s historical pricing for comparable services. 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 but not limited to:

• 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
• Whether you experience complications and need additional treatment
• Other health conditions you may have that may affect your care

Also, our estimates are for the services provided at our hospitals and will not include physician’s services for treatment or interpretations of completed exams such as imaging or pathology. You may receive separate bills for these services.

When I call for a pricing estimate, what information do I need to have available?

Before you call, it is a good idea to contact your physician’s office to get the best description possible of the services you need. Then, if you have insurance, contact your insurance company and make sure the services required are “covered services” under your specific plan. It is important to remember that if they are not “covered”, then you would be considered “uninsured” for these services. While speaking with your insurance company, it is a good idea for you to inquire how much your deductible is, what the coinsurance is, and if there is a copayment amount for the service you are inquiring about.

When you call us, please try to have the following information at hand so that we can provide you with our best estimate of your financial responsibility:

• Description of services needed – We will need to know as much information as possible about the specific services needed as described by your physician.
• Type of services needed – We need to know if will be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient overnight, or if you are expected to be treated on an outpatient basis.
• Physician/Specialist Name – Example: if you are having surgery, we will want to know the surgeon’s name.

If you have insurance, we will also need:

• Your insurance card – Please have your card available so that, if needed, we can get the following information from you: name of insurance company, type of policy (e.g. HMO, PPO, POS, Indemnity), policy holder’s name, group name and number, policy number, insurance company phone number.
• Policy holder’s personal information – It is possible that the insurance company will want us to verify the Social Security Number and date of birth of the person who is named as the primary insurance policy holder.

What is expected of patients in terms of payment?

Similar to a visit to your physician’s office, payment is due at time of service. If you have insurance or other coverage, you are expected to pay any copayment, coinsurance, and/or deductible upon arrival at the hospital.

We will submit your claim for medical insurance for you. After your insurance company processes your claim, we will send you a patient statement with information about any amount you may still owe.

If you are uninsured, we expect payment at time of service (or will work with you to arrange monthly payments) for the estimated price of your services. If, after your services are received, any additional payment is due, we will send you information about any amount you may still owe. If you receive care and cannot pay for your services, with your cooperation, our financial counselors will evaluate whether you qualify for Medicaid or our Patient Financial Assistance Program.

We accept major credit cards, checks, money orders and cash.