The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires hospitals to provide clear, accessible pricing information about the items and services they provide in two ways:
- Provide information about the rates negotiated with insurance companies for all services and items offered by our hospitals. This information is not an estimate of the costs that you are responsible for paying. The CMS-required hospital charge data files might not be the best tool for patients and families who are comparison shopping between hospitals and health systems for shoppable services. You can find our CMS-required hospital charge data in the treatment cost calculator. Please note: Because of the size of the files, you may need special computer software/speed to open the files.
- Show shoppable services in a consumer-friendly way. CMS defines shoppable services as those that can be scheduled in advance. Hospitals are required to make available a minimum of 300 shoppable services, including a pre-set list of 72 procedures.
Beth Israel Lahey Health offers a consumer-friendly online calculator to estimate the cost of out-of-pocket expenses for common exams, procedures, and tests, including the 300 shoppable services. Patients, can access the estimates calculator by clicking here.
For more information about hospital costs, visit CompareCare, a website created by the Commonwealth for consumers to compare costs of medical procedures and quality metrics across Massachusetts.