Understanding Your Bill
Your billing process should be as stress-free as possible. Having a full understanding of your hospital bill helps. Check out the sample hospital bill below for a quick explanation of its important sections. For a full explanation, you can download Understanding Your Medical Center Bill (PDF).
A: Contact Information:
Provides the web address where you can make a payment, as well as a telephone number you can use to pay by phone. Also includes an address for written correspondence.
B: Guarantor Name:
Identifies the person financially responsible for charges.
C: Guarantor Number:
Use this unique identifier when referencing your account online or with Cedars Sinai Patient Financial Services.
D: Guarantor Account Summary:
A snapshot of balance due.
E: Total Amount Due:
The amount indicated is your responsibility to pay. The total is based on actual charges minus any payments received from you or your insurance provider.
F: Customer Care:
Contact information and hours of operation.
G: Bulletin:
Important messages regarding your account or general billing changes.
H: Payment Coupon:
Will be included only if a payment is due from you.
Not shown: Subsequent pages on your patient bill will provide a more detailed account of the services provided to you. There is also information about financial assistance and physician services, as well as a form to change your contact or insurance information.
How to Figure Out Your Charges
To budget for your healthcare expenses, it helps to know what to expect. There are three ways to estimate your charges and expenses.
- Contact Your Insurance Company. Your insurance company can let you know if a service is covered, how much you need to pay when you have an appointment, and if you have deductibles you will need to pay out of pocket before your insurance company contributes to your bill.
- Get an Estimate. For elective surgical and gastrointestinal (GI) procedures, you can call the Cash and Insurance Pricing Line, 310-423-4890, to get a billing estimate before you receive services. Contact your insurance company first. If you don't have insurance, call this number after you've visited your doctor and know what services you need.
- Review the Chargemaster. For a general overview of how your healthcare charges may be broken down, the Charge Description Master (CDM), or chargemaster, is a list of items that may be billed to a patient, insurance company or healthcare provider.
The Common Outpatient Procedures List includes charges to help you estimate future expenses.
You can also review this information in person, Monday through Friday from 10 am - 3 pm (excluding holidays) by visiting:
Cedars-Sinai Finance Department
6500 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90048
We use the insurance information you give us to process your account. We suggest you call your insurance company before your visit. Your insurance company can let you know what services your policy covers and how much you need to pay when you have an appointment.
When you receive treatment and services, we send bills to your insurance company. If they do not pay in a reasonable amount of time or do not cover the total amount of your bill, we may call your insurance company again. We also may call you for help in processing your claim.
If your insurance does not cover your entire bill, we may send you a bill for the remaining amount owed. To make this simpler for you, we will include the amount owed for physician and hospital services on one statement.
For patients under the age of 18, the parent or guardian of a patient at Cedars-Sinai is responsible for payment.
In California, doctors may not be directly employed by a hospital—even if they work in a hospital—so doctor and hospital charges are on separate bills. The total amount billed, however, is the same.
Any doctor-ordered services (such as lab tests, X-rays, MRIs, CTs, imaging scans or other tests or procedures) may be billed separately by Cedars-Sinai.
Your insurance company will be billed directly. What your insurance will pay varies, so we suggest you check with your employer or your insurance company before your visit to make certain you will be covered.
If you're admitted to Cedars-Sinai as an inpatient, you and your insurance company will receive bills separate from your office appointment charges. The hospital bill will include room charges, nursing care, medications, linens and other things you received during your stay.
Depending on the services you receive, you also may get bills from different departments and doctors at Cedars-Sinai—such as surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists and others.
Depending on your health insurance coverage, you may be responsible for paying an annual deductible and/or copayment for care. Unless you have made other plans, you must pay these fees either when you’re admitted to Cedars-Sinai or at an office visit with your Cedars-Sinai doctor.
Contact Us
By Phone
We’re here to help answer your questions Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm.
By E-Mail
Would you prefer talk to us by email? No worries – we’ve got you covered and we’ll respond within 3 business days.
Many of your questions or issues can be resolved through your patient access portal. My CS-Link allows you to update your information, ask a question or pay bills at your convivence.