St. Luke's Charge Description Master
The Charge Description Master (CDM), or chargemaster, is a comprehensive
listing of items that could be billed to a patient or payer. Hospital
chargemasters are lengthy and complex documents. Persons interested in
estimating the cost of future care or comparing similar services of various
hospitals should consider the following additional information.
Hospitals are required by the federal government to utilize uniform charges
as the starting point for all bills. Since payment rates for hospital
care provided to insured patients are either negotiated with health plans,
set by the federal government for Medicare, or set by state governments
for Medicaid, the payment amounts hospitals receive for patient care do
not necessarily reflect the prices reflected on either the chargemaster
or the hospital’s average Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) charge.
Further, uninsured patients are not generally expected to pay the hospital’s
standard charges in full, and may be eligible for financial assistance.
The submitted pricing information reflects hospital charges in effect
on January 1, 2019. As a result, a patient’s bill for hospital services
provided at a different date may contain different charges.
The prices on this list are for hospital services only. Hospital charges
may include bundled procedures, personnel, services and supplies. An example
would be room rates that include the space, equipment, nursing personnel
and some supplies. A DRG is how Medicare and some health insurance companies
categorize hospitalization costs and determine how much to pay for a patient's
inpatient hospital stay. Rather than paying the hospital for what it spent
caring for a hospitalized patient, Medicare pays the hospital a fixed
amount based on the patient’s DRG or diagnosis.
Typical Charges
Hospital charges typically do not include physician services or the necessary
services of other providers, such as personnel retained by the physician,
or the services of outside facilities. Patients will be responsible for
these other charges in addition to the hospital charges.
Hospital charges are based on what type of care is actually provided and
can differ from patient to patient for the same service. The differences
between patients are related to complications or varying treatments needed
due to the patient's health. Even though the hospital's prices
on this list are the same for all patients, actual charges for each specific
patient may vary from the listed standard charges due to a combination
of factors.
Drug prices are subject to change as the sales price for the drug changes
throughout the year. It is also difficult to estimate the cost of drugs
upfront because the price for each patient can vary depending on the specific
medication ordered, the dose and method of administration. It is also
important to note that medication plans may have to be altered depending
on the patient’s response or other medications the patient may be taking.
Patient’s Responsibility
A patient's responsibility may vary, depending on payment plans negotiated
with individual health insurers, or the terms of coverage under a governmental
or other healthcare payment program.
Many patients who seek hospital charge information are interested in knowing
their potential out-of-pocket financial responsibility. This is an opportunity
to have important conversations regarding finances. Those with health
insurance can be directed to contact their health plan for specific financial
obligations. Those without health insurance will be provided information
related to the hospital's financial assistance policy or other discounts
that could be applied.
Charge Description Master File
Download the DRG List
Please contact us at
218.249.5340 or
866.303.5340 for more specific price estimates or for further assistance with our financial
counselors.
For patients seeking emergency care, we provide medical screening by a
physician and necessary stabilizing treatment without delay to all individuals
who come to the hospital and request care, regardless of their ability to pay.