Your billing rights

Know the expected costbefore your visit.

Uninsured and self-pay patients generally have a federal right to a Good Faith Estimate for scheduled care or upon request.

Good Faith Estimate

An estimate is more than a price on a web page.

It is a written estimate for your expected care. Keep a copy so you can compare it with the bills you receive.

A written estimate

If you do not have insurance or do not plan to use it, you generally have the right to a written, itemized estimate of the charges a provider or facility expects for scheduled nonemergency items or services.

Before scheduled care

A provider generally must give you an estimate when you schedule care at least three business days in advance. You may also ask for one before scheduling.

A dispute option

If a bill from a provider is at least $400 more than that provider’s Good Faith Estimate, you may be able to use the federal dispute process. You generally must start within 120 calendar days of the date on the initial bill.

How to request one

Ask the practice before care.

The request process must be connected to the office’s real scheduling and billing workflow.

If care is scheduled three to nine business days in advance, the estimate generally must be provided within one business day after scheduling. If it is scheduled ten or more business days in advance, the estimate generally must be provided within three business days. An estimate requested before scheduling generally must be provided within three business days after the request.

Use the practice’s published phone number or another approved contact method to request a Good Faith Estimate. The final phone number and request process must be added before this concept becomes the official practice website.

This website does not accept estimate requests or patient information. Do not put medical, insurance, appointment, or identifying information in an ordinary email or website URL.

This page is a notice of your rights. It is not a personalized estimate and does not change the terms of an estimate provided by the practice.

For federal questions, call the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at 1-800-985-3059 or use the CMS guidance linked below.

Practice contact details Read the CMS guidance