Understanding Hospital "Charges"
South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations Charges Compare allows health care consumers to access basic information about services and charges at South Dakota hospitals. Information provided on the Web site is based on hospital "charges."
A hospital "charge" is not the same as "expected payment." "Charge" is the amount billed for a service. In the vast majority of cases, hospitals are paid considerably less than the billed amount. Because each person's case is different based on that patient's medical condition, a given patient's charge will not necessarily be the same as the average or median charge. Furthermore, the actual amount paid by a patient will depend on that patient's insurance coverage.
South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations Charges Compare should be considered a starting point for comparing costs of care between South Dakota hospitals. Patients should contact individual hospitals to get further details about the possible cost of their care. Patients should also talk with their insurance provider to understand which costs will be covered, and which will be the patient's responsibility.