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Hospitals Will Estimate Charges In Advance

The Oregon Association of Hospitals announced every health system in the state will now provide a cost estimate for any planned procedure.  

The initiative is expected to reduce “sticker shock” for potential patients.  They say it will help uninsured and out-of-network patients understand the potential costs for services.

Amber Felton is with PeaceHealth Medical Center. She describes how hospital charges are estimated.

Felton: “Let’s say one patient comes in and has a particular knee surgery and another patient comes in and has that same type surgery. And we’re taking an average over 50 patients-- maybe 200 patients. So that’s what allows us to get pretty close.”

Felton says hundreds have already called for estimates. There is also a little-known financial assistance program to help people when they can’t afford to pay for needed procedures

Free Estimate Line for PeaceHealth hospitals:

https://www.peacehealth.org/patient-financial-services

Click "Request an Estimate"

Or call: 844-212-1049

Tiffany joined the KLCC News team in 2007. She studied journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in a variety of media including television, technical writing, photography and daily print news before moving to the Pacific Northwest.