Price Transparency

Lakes Regional Healthcare is proud to be a leader in providing consumers with easily accessible, understandable and reliable information about health care costs.

We offer an online tool for patients to obtain a price estimate for a wide range of health care services. The estimate is only for out-of-pocket cost for services at Lakes Regional Healthcare. Additional services that may not be part of the estimate include, but are not limited to, professional fees, anesthesia services and radiology technician charges.

Understanding Pricing

We are committed to sharing information in ways that will help you make informed decisions about healthcare services.

Estimates vary based on the insurance plan coverage. Before any service, please contact your insurance company to confirm coverage under your plan and that Lakes Regional Healthcare is a participating provider. The estimate for uninsured patients reflects the hospital’s discounts for uninsured patients. You can also visit Iowa Hospitals Compare. This resource is a starting point for comparing the cost of care among Iowa hospitals. For more information about the possible cost of your care, contact us at 712-336-1230 extension 1175. Also, it is crucial to talk with your insurance provider to understand which costs will be covered, and which will be your responsibility.

Hospital Pricing

Questions surrounding hospital pricing remain complex and include many factors, such as:

• Prices vary based on patient needs and the level of services consumed.

• A wide range of products and services are bundled into the price of a particular hospital service, including medications, supplies, tests, and more.

• Hospital reimbursement varies from patient to patient based on the payments mandated by different insurance companies, health plans, and government payors such as Medicare and Medicaid.

• Professional fees – such as physician, radiologist, anesthesiologist, and pathologist fees – are not included in your estimate. Your final bill may differ because of this.

All of these factors combine to make specific advance pricing information difficult to provide on an individual basis.

Financial Responsibility

No one likes to be surprised by the cost of their medical care. That’s why it’s important to understand the type of insurance you carry, along with other health care accounts, to determine what your financial responsibility is for your medical care.

Traditional Insurance

Because traditional insurance typically covers most of the cost of hospital care, patients with this type of coverage are more likely to be interested in what their personal out-of-pocket costs would be between hospitals, rather than overall hospital charges.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care – like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. Learn more about surprise billing or how to receive a good faith estimate.

Other Health Care Accounts

We are committed to responding to the needs of individuals, beyond those with traditional insurance coverage. Other types of health care accounts include:

• Patients with high-deductible health savings accounts (HSA).

• Patients with Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) coverage.

• Patients without insurance who have limited means of paying for healthcare will want to compare information, but ultimately will need to work within the charity and discount policies that are available. Learn more about charity and patient assistance programs at Lakes Regional Healthcare.

Other Costs

Many costs related to hospital pricing are outside the control of Lakes Regional Healthcare. These may include:

• Product mark-ups for device manufacturers

• Pharmaceuticals

• Other medical service providers

Vendors are also encouraged to supply a transparent price list to help patients recognize the costs associated with healthcare services and procedures.

Our Commitment

We are committed to providing high-quality healthcare and pricing transparency. Our ongoing efforts in pricing transparency will focus on improving the quality of care while being mindful of the costs to our patients.

* As of January 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now requires hospitals to provide a price estimator tool for as many of the 70 CMS-specified shoppable services that are performed by the hospital, and as many additional hospital-selected shoppable services as is necessary for a combined total of at least 300 shoppable services. 

The CMS rule also requires a comprehensive “standard charges” file be posted online, and offer information on things such as gross charges, discounted cash prices and payer-specific negotiated charges. This information can be found below.

Lakes Regional Healthcare Charge List