Chargemaster
The information provided in the Chargemaster link below is a comprehensive list of charges for each inpatient and outpatient service or item provided by our hospital, also known as a Chargemaster. It is not necessarily a helpful tool for patients to comparison shop between hospitals or to estimate what health care services are going to cost them out of their own pocket. Patients should contact their medical insurance provider to get further details about the possible cost of their care, including healthcare providers in and out of network and services covered. Patients should also talk with their insurance provider to understand which costs will be covered by insurance and which will be the patient's responsibility. Patients without medical coverage will find our hospital's financial assistance
policy here. For more information about the cost of your care, please contact our patient financial services staff at 601-574-7200.
What Is Copiah County Medical Center doing to be transparent?
We are committed to providing price information to consumers.
Because of widespread variation in health insurance coverage, it is difficult for hospitals to provide specific cost information without access detailed information about a patient's health insurance coverage. Our business office can help to estimate what an average episode of care might cost you out of pocket and you may contact our office at 601-574-7200.
What is a Chargemaster?
A Chargemaster is a comprehensive list of charges for each inpatient and outpatient service provided by a hospital - each test, exam, surgery or other procedures, room charges, etc.
Given the broad scope of services provided by hospitals 24/7, a Chargemaster contains thousands of services and charges.
Health insurance companies contract with hospitals to care for their customers.
Hospitals are paid the insurance company's contract rate, which generally is significantly less than the amount listed on the Chargemaster.
An individual hospital's charges vary based on its unique range of services, adoption of new medical technologies, government underfunding, patient demographics and other local and regional factors.
Are charges different from payments?
Yes, charges are different from payments. Chargemaster information is not particularly helpful for patients to estimate what health care services are going to cost them out of their own pocket.
Chargemaster amounts are almost never billed to a patient or received as payment by a hospital.
The Chargemaster amounts are billed to an insurance company, Medicare, or Medicaid, and those insurers then apply their contracted rates to the services that are billed. In situations where a patient does not have insurance, our hospital has financial assistance policies that apply discounts to the amounts charged. More information on our financial assistance policies please contact our patient financial services staff at 601-574-7200.
Each hospital has different proportions of Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance or uninsured patients, which adds to the complicated nature of hospital billing.
Every insurer pays the hospital differently. Medicare and Medicaid generally pay less than the actual cost of caring for patients.
There are also patients who, unfortunately, can't pay their hospital bills. As Mississippi's health care safety net, hospitals treat uninsured and underinsured patients every day.
Why do hospital costs of caring for patients vary?
Every patient's case is special and requires different levels of care. Hospitals are prepared with doctors, nurses and high-tech equipment around the clock for illness or injury - from a twisted ankle to a major accident to a natural disaster.
The price a patient sees on the hospital bill reflects all the people who care for them and keep the hospital operating, not just the services provided, such as:
- Nurses and caregivers at the bedside
- Pharmacists, lab technicians, food service staff, environmental service professionals and security personnel who, among many others, keep the hospital running 24/7
- Specialty care providers
Hospital costs have many factors, such as staffing, equipment, maintenance costs and the differences in care needed by each patient. Key components of hospital costs that vary by region, community and individual hospital include:
- Services provided for the patient's unique care needs
- 24/7/365 readiness to meet the community's health care needs
- Charity care for people unable to pay
- Medicare and Medicaid underpayments - programs that pay the hospital less than the cost of caring for patients with health coverage through the programs
Are the charges listed in the hospital chargemaster all inclusive of physician charges?
No. The chargemaster provided on this web site only lists charges for services that the hospital provides such as your room, the equipment and supplies used to care for you and tests that our technical staff perform such as lab, radiology, or therapists and NOT physician billed charges. Physician charges are for physician consultations from Emergency Room physicians, Radiologists, primary care physicians or specialists such as surgeons who will bill your insurance under a separate billing. This means you could receive multiple bills for one episode of care depending on how many primary care physicians and or specialists that are involved in or were consulted in the delivery of your care.
