Testimony
Patient Cost Estimator Toolkit
Member Issue Brief: Implementing Patient Out-of-pocket Cost Estimators
Patients have many questions when planning for their care. An important one is: How much is this going to cost me? While hospitals and health systems have generally relied on financial advisors to help patients with inquiries about what they may pay for care, technological advances are enabling them to help patients find this information in new ways, particularly through online tools. This issue brief lays out the key components of effective online tools used by hospitals and health systems to help patients understand their potential out-of-pocket costs and highlights several different approaches providers have taken. View the entire issue brief here. Also see case studies below.
Members in Action Case Studies
Hospital Sisters Health System – Springfield, Ill.
Hospital Sisters Health System piloted a variety of tools to provide consumers with real-time out-of-pocket health care estimates at four of its hospitals in Northeastern Wisconsin.
Memorial Healthcare System – Hollywood, Florida
In 2017, Memorial Healthcare System launched an online tool for prospective patients to determine their out-of-pocket costs in advance of scheduling a procedure
UCHealth – Aurora, Colo.
UCHealth is an innovator in providing individualized out-of-pocket cost estimates that are specific to patients’ own insurance situations via its online patient portal, mobile app and through a dedicated call center
AdventHealth – Altamonte Springs, Fla.
As AdventHealth unified its nearly 50 hospitals across nine states to one brand in 2018 (formerly Adventist Health System), the faith-based organization has set its focus on being a consumer-centric health care organization with a connected system of care.