Patients

New Hampshire hospitals are committed to playing a leading role in promoting health care transparency to educate consumers. This web site is one step toward provide the consumer and other with information about hospital prices.

Who will use Price Transparency?

We envision that consumers of healthcare, policymakers and other healthcare provide will use this web site.

What is included in a hospital charge?

The charges listed are for hospital services only. They do not include physician charges such as those for a surgeon or anesthesiologist.

Why do charges vary from hospital to hospital?

Each hospital has a unique combination of payers, patients and services. Payer mix, which is the proportion of courses of payment, can be a major factor. For example, Medicare and Medicaid payments, which are determined by the government without regard to hospitals’ actual charges, are much lower than what it even costs a hospital to provide care.

Hospitals which serve more Medicare and Medicaid patients have to recover a greater portion of their cost through other sources, such as privately insured patients.

Other factors reflected in hospitals’ charge structure include:

Facility Cost Structures - Facilities differ in their approach to pricing based on operational costs. Some facilities try to spread the cost of all services and equipment among all patients. Others establish charges for specific services based on the cost to provide each specific service. Furthermore, some facilities may decide, or be forced; to provide certain services at a loss while other facility operations subsidize the losses. Any of these situations can result in significantly different changes among hospitals for a given type of service.

New Technology - The equipment facilities use to provide services differs in age, sophistication, and frequency of use. Facilities with the latest technology may have higher charges than those with older, less sophisticated equipment.

Staffing Costs - Salary scales may differ by region and are typically higher in urban than rural areas. Shortages of nurses and other medical personnel may affect regions differently. Where shortages are more severe, staffing costs, and, therefore charges, may be higher.

Intensity of Care - Some facilities are equipped to care for more severely ill patients than others. Patients within the same diagnosis or procedure category may need very different levels of service and staff attention, causing variation in charges.

Service Frequency - The per-patient cost of services is generally higher if the type of hospitalization occurs infrequently at the facility. Furthermore, a single case with unusually high or low charges can greatly affect a facility’s average charge if the facility reported only a few cases in a given time period.

Capital Expenses - Facilities differ in the amount of debt and depreciation they must cover in their charge structure. Facilities may choose to lease or purchase equipment of facilities. The choices made about financing of capital projects may affect charges in different ways.

How often is data refreshed?

The data will be published annually.

Does Price Transparency address all “transparency” issues?

Price Transparency does not and cannot answer all questions about hospital services and charges. But the web site can help start the transparency conversation in which patients, providers, employers and insurer must all participate.

Of course, there are limitations to the utility of hospital charges. Other in the health care market also have a responsibility to be “transparent”. Insurers and health plans, for example, must be the source of specific information about out-of-pocket liability for patients because health care providers do not know the details of each patient’s health care coverage.

Will new measures be added in the future?

The web site will never be a finished product. We anticipate regular enhancements to improve the value of the information for users.

Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with questions.

Details: Parent Category: For Patients; Category: Patients; Published: 27 March 2013; Hits: 59098

In a time when the health care delivery system is changing rapidly and growing more complex, New Hampshire Hospital Association and its member hospitals are committed to promoting greater transparency around healthcare costs, as well as a better understanding of hospital pricing, billing and insurance coverage, so that healthcare consumers like you can make the best decision for you and family.

KNOW YOUR HEALTHCARE COSTS IN 3 EASY STEPS

Step 1 - Determine the Procedure You Need

Determine what procedure or test you will be having. If unsure, this can typically be found on the order for the procedure/test or by calling your provider office.

Step 2- Estimate your procedure costs. There are a few different ways that you can estimate the cost of your procedure.

Call Your Hospital

New Hampshire hospitals welcome the opportunity to help patients better understand the costs associated with their healthcare and better plan for any out-of-pocket costs by providing cost estimates, whether its an outpatient test or procedure, or something more extensive that will require an inpatient stay. Before you call your hospital to find out the cost of your upcoming procedure, review our Patient Checklist for the information you'll need to help you get the best estimate. It's important to remember that procedure costs will vary based on your specific circumstances including health insurance status and changes in coverage; length of time spent in the hospital; additional tests or procedures ordered by your physician; or any unforeseen conditions or circumstances surrounding your care or recovery.

If You Have Insurance

Contact your insurance provider by calling the telephone number on the back of your health insurance member card or by visiting their website. This is especially important if you have an elective procedure. The Affordable Care Act requires health insurance companies to provide pricing information to their customers, including both the hospital portion as well as the physician services.

If You Are Uninsured

New Hampshire hospitals provide care to everyone who needs it, regardless of their ability to pay or insurance status. If you don’t have health insurance and would like to receive an estimate of your financial responsibility for an upcoming service or procedure, call the Patient Financial Services or Patient Access team at your hospital, and they will help determine the estimated cost of an upcoming service or procedure.

All New Hampshire hospitals provide discounts to uninsured patients and the discount rates vary - call your local hospital to find out more information about their individual discount program.

In-Network vs. Out-of-Network

Some hospitals do not participate in-network with all insurance plans. If you receive care from an out-of-network hospital or physician it could increase your out-of-pocket costs. To verify your out-of-network services, contact your insurance company directly by calling the number listed on the back of your insurance card.

Common Procedures

The New Hampshire Hospital Association provides a list of the most commonly performed Outpatient Services at hospitals throughout the state, and the costs associated with each, so that you can better prepare for your upcoming procedure. Please note that the costs listed are averages.

NH HealthCost

The New Hampshire Insurance Department provides information for consumers on healthcare costs so that you can compare costs by insurance plan, and incorporate your deductible and co-insurance to help better estimate any out-of-pocket costs at www.nhhealthcost.org.

Step 3 - Determine what makes sense for you!

Now that you have the information you need from your hospital and insurance company, you can make the best decision possible regarding your healthcare and plan for any out-of-pocket costs associated with your upcoming procedure.

Patient Financial Assistance

New Hampshire hospitals treat all patients when they need healthcare services, including those patients who can't afford to pay for their care. There are several programs available to assist patients who can't afford or have trouble paying their medical bills. New Hampshire hospitals offer discount programs and payment plans for those who are having difficulty paying their medical bills. Ask your hospital's Patient Financial Services or Patient Access Services team if you have concerns about your ability to pay for your medical bills.

In addition, New Hampshire hospitals provide charity care programs for patients in need of healthcare services that can't afford to pay for medical care. Your hospital will work with you to help determine if you are eligible for their charity care program.

Additional Consumer Resources

Patient Checklist

Understanding Hospital Prices

Common Definitions

Frequently Asked Questions

Understanding Healthcare Prices: A Consumer Guide (HFMA)

Understanding Healthcare Prices: A Consumer Guide (HFMA, Spanish)

Details: Parent Category: For Patients; Category: Patients; Published: 14 June 2011; Hits: 6609

Report examines HIPAA security preparedness challenges (5/03/04)

URAC, a health care accreditation organization, on Wednesday released a report examining the preparedness of a sample of health care organizations for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's security rule, which takes effect on April 21, 2005.

The report says key challenges encountered by the health care organizations studied include incomplete or inappropriately scoped risk analysis efforts; incomplete or poorly executed risk management strategies; limited or faulty review of information system activity; and ineffective security incident reporting and response. The report recommends health care organizations begin preparing for the rule now, adding that most security risk management programs can take up to a year to fully implement.

Lawrence Hughes, AHA regulatory counsel and director of member relations, said the AHA is working with strategic partners Ernst & Young and Computer Associates to provide hospitals with additional resources to help jump-start their security efforts.

Click HERE for more information on AHA HIPAA resources.

The New Hampshire & Vermont Strategic HIPAA Implementation Plan

We're pleased to announce the creation of NHV-SHIP: The New Hampshire & Vermont Strategic HIPAA Implementation Plan. NHV-SHIP, founded by the New Hampshire Hospital Association, the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont. NHV-SHIP is a volunteer organization of hospitals, physicians, other health care providers, health plans, state health departments, and vendors, whose purpose is to assist all parties in leveraging existing resources, best practices, and complying with HIPAA. Membership is open to any organization that expresses a desire to work in a collaborative, non-commercial environment. A steering committee and three work groups are being developed for Transactions & Code Sets, Privacy & Security and Education & Awareness. More details will be announced soon for upcoming meeting dates. For more information about NHV-SHIP look to our web site at www.nhvship.org, or contact Kathy Bizarro at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Greg Farnum at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Details: Parent Category: For Patients; Category: Patients; Published: 08 August 2011; Hits: 6242

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Details: Parent Category: For Patients; Category: Patients; Published: 14 June 2011; Hits: 83111

Hospitals in New Hampshire work hard to make quality health care available, affordable, and accessible to all, regardless of ability to pay. They offer many financial assistance and referral programs to ensure that cost will not be a barrier to anyone in our community getting the health care services they need. If payment of your health care expenses could create a financial hardship for you, your community hospital will work with you to apply for financial assistance, even if you do not feel you qualify for financial assistance. Information you provide is confidential.

As part of the financial counseling application process, the hospital will assess your potential eligibility for health insurance coverage through federal or state programs such as New Hampshire Medicaid. If it is determined that you may be eligible for one of these programs, the hospital will assist you in the application process. You will be required to supply the financial or medical documentation that is necessary to secure such insurance coverage.

Common Criteria Categories for Financial Assistance

Family income, in relation to federal poverty guidelines
Assets (e.g. home, bank account, and stocks)
Any additional financial hardship
You must be receiving medically necessary care.

Exclusions for Eligibility

Cosmetic procedures and infertility services are not eligible for financial assistance. All other elective or non-emergent services are covered at the discretion of the health provider or hospital.

Financial Assistance Programs available

In addition to hospital-specific programs that might be available in your community, hospitals in New Hampshire also participates in several statewide programs:

NH Health Access Network

Hospital Access Plus

NH Medication Bridge

Click on the links below for more information from on applying for financial assistance at your community hospital:

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital (603) 448-3121

Androscoggin Valley Hospital (603) 326-5653

Catholic Medical Center (603) 663-6922

The Cheshire Medical Center (603) 354-5454, ext. 4444

Concord Hospital (603) 228-7145

Cottage Hospital (603) 747-9220

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (603) 650-6222

Elliot Hospital (603) 663-2571