We help you find the right hospital
Real prices. Real quality data. Your interest — not theirs.
When your doctor tells you that you need a procedure, the first question in your head is usually: "How much will this cost?" The honest answer for most patients has been: nobody knows. Hospitals publish prices, but those files are massive, inconsistent, and written for insurance companies — not for you.
We built HospitalCost to change that. We read the files hospitals are required to publish, merge them with federal quality and safety data, and turn the result into something you can use in 30 seconds. No estimates. No guesses. No affiliations with hospitals or insurance companies.
Why we exist
Since January 2021, federal law has required every hospital to publish machine-readable files containing all their prices — every procedure, every insurance plan, cash prices, and negotiated rates. This is the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule.
The intention was to empower patients. The reality is that these files are unusable by anyone who isn't a data engineer. The same MRI scan varies 2-10x in price between hospitals in the same city, and patients have no practical way to find out before they schedule. We close that gap.
How we work
We cover the procedures patients most often need to price-shop — imaging, screenings, surgery, lab tests, ER visits, and office visits. Every price is merged with federal quality ratings, safety data, and patient satisfaction scores — because the cheapest hospital isn't always the right choice, and the most expensive isn't always the best.
Prices shown are facility fees. Doctor, radiologist, surgeon, and anesthesiologist fees are billed separately — we note this clearly on every page and recommend asking your hospital about those costs too.
What you can trust about us
- We're independent. We're not affiliated with any hospital, health system, insurance company, or government agency. We don't accept advertising from healthcare providers.
- We don't estimate. Every price is a price a hospital published. Every quality score is a score CMS calculated. We don't make up numbers.
- We show you what matters. Price, quality, safety, insurance rates, financial assistance — all in one place.
- We're not medical advice. We show you the data so you can make the best decision for your situation. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for clinical decisions.
Where our data comes from
Every number on HospitalCost traces to a verifiable federal source. We merge 17 datasets spanning hospital-published prices, CMS quality ratings, patient satisfaction, safety and infection data, Medicare payment data, hospital financials, and financial assistance policies. All sourced from the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule and related federal programs.
We don't estimate prices. We publish what the hospitals publish. When a hospital's data is incomplete, missing, or contradictory, we say so.
Coverage
Virginia and North Carolina are live. Every covered hospital has verified published prices merged with federal quality and safety data. More states are coming.
View all hospitals we cover
What we've found
Our analysis has surfaced findings that aren't available anywhere else:
- 19.5% of insurance negotiated rates exceed the hospital's own cash price — patients on high-deductible plans may save thousands by asking for the cash rate. See the data
- For-profit hospitals charge 2.2x more than nonprofits on average, with the gap widening to 3.8x for colonoscopies. See the data
- Multiple hospitals are penalized by Medicare for patient safety — and this isn't shown alongside pricing on any other consumer tool. See the data
Virginia Hospital Pricing Report → · North Carolina Hospital Pricing Report →