Understanding Hospital Chargemasters
It's important to understand what a chargemaster shows before making any decisions. Learn how chargemasters describe prices for procedures, goods and services at hospitals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a chargemaster?
A charge description master (CDM) or “chargemaster” is a list of a hospital’s charges for the items and services it provides. Currently there are no industry standards for chargemasters, so you can’t use chargemasters from different hospitals to compare them.
Why is Nemours posting chargemasters?
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires every hospital to post its chargemaster on its website. Posting chargemasters is an early step in a federal effort to make health care costs transparent to the public.
Does the chargemaster show what I will be asked to pay?
No. The prices you see listed are not your out-of-pocket costs. They are the costs calculated by the hospital to provide services and items. The chargemaster reflects prices before rates are negotiated with insurance companies or other discounts are applied. The amounts do not reflect your final cost or what you will be asked to pay.
How much will I pay out-of-pocket for a service or item?
You should contact your health insurance company to find out. If you don’t have health insurance, you can call a Nemours financial advocate at (844) 551-2065.
Where can I find the Nemours chargemasters?
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware (xlsx)
Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida (xlsx)
Where can I find a list of the Nemours rates?
The items below reflect select gross or average charges and payer-specific negotiated reimbursement rates, for all items and services provided historically within our hospitals for a given payer.
For patient-families, this resource will not provide you with the best estimate for out-of-pocket costs. Please use our self-service estimate tool to get a better estimate for your financial responsibility. Please call our Financial Advocates at (844) 551-2065 with specific questions.
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