Hospital Based Billing

Most of our facilities located at our Hospital & Seattle Medical Center, including our General Internal Medicine Department and specialty clinics, are licensed as a hospital. The other location licensed as a hospital is our Outpatient Hospital Surgery Center (OSC) in Federal Way.

If you receive care at our Hospital & Seattle Medical Center or the Federal Way OSC, certain outpatient services and procedures may have a hospital facility charge, in addition to a professional charge. Depending on your insurance coverage, you may pay more out of pocket for certain outpatient services and procedures at our Hospital & Seattle Medical Center and Federal Way OSC than you would at one of our regional medical centers.

Please review your insurance benefits or contact your insurance company to see what your policy will pay and what you may have to pay out of pocket.

Preventive exam and additional services within the same provider visit.
I have always been told I need a physical every year. What exactly is a physical?

A “physical” is a preventive care visit. A physical focuses on promoting maintenance of good health, identifying risk factors for particular health conditions based on your individual history, and helping you to reduce your risk of developing these diseases in the future.

Examples of services that are generally covered in a physical include:

• Review of your medical, family and social histories
• An exam based on your age and risk factors identified in your history
• Education and counseling to promote wellness and reduce your risk for future health issues
• Recommendations for vaccines and screening tests (e.g. labs, X-rays) depending on age and risk factors

What services are not included in a preventive visit?

Services not considered preventive care are billed separately. Some examples include:

• Evaluation of a new health concern
• Discussion regarding management or changes in a chronic medical problem
• Changes to a current treatment plan (e.g. adding or changing a prescription, ordering new diagnostic studies, or referring to a specialist)
• Fees for vaccinations, labs, and other diagnostic testing.

Because these medical services extend beyond preventive care, they will be billed to your insurance in addition to the charges for your preventive visit.

Chargemaster Information

If you are interested in a list of our median prices for selected surgical procedures, for both hospital outpatient surgeries and inpatient visits, please review our chargemaster information.

 

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