Terms of Service
What the site is, what it is not, and the terms you agree to by using it.
Last updated April 11, 2026.
What HospitalCost is
HospitalCost is a free, independent tool that compares hospital prices, quality ratings, and insurance rates using federally mandated public data. Every price shown comes directly from the hospital's own machine-readable file, published under the CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180). Every quality score comes from CMS Hospital Compare and related federal datasets.
What HospitalCost is not
- Not medical advice. Nothing on this site should be used to make a clinical decision. If you are weighing a procedure or a provider for medical reasons, talk to your doctor.
- Not a guaranteed quote. Published prices are a data point, not a binding estimate. What you actually pay depends on your insurance plan, your deductible status, whether anesthesiologists or surgeons bill separately, and the clinical specifics of your procedure.
- Not affiliated with any hospital, health system, insurance company, or government agency. We are independent.
Use the data honestly
Our data is free to read. If you want to cite our findings in a news article, research paper, or policy brief, please do — we ask only that you link back to the specific HospitalCost page and include the date you accessed it. For large-scale data requests or API access, email us.
Do not scrape the site at abusive rates. Do not republish our data as your own. Do not remove our attribution.
Accuracy and limitations
We take accuracy seriously. Every number on the site is traceable to a primary source. But federal data has known limitations:
- Hospital price files sometimes lag, omit procedures, or bundle fees differently across facilities.
- CMS quality data is updated on a federal schedule and may be 6-18 months behind current practice.
- Financial assistance thresholds are set by each hospital and change from time to time — always confirm directly with the hospital.
If you find something that looks wrong, email richard@hospitalcost.com. We investigate every report and correct errors where the source data supports it.
Limitation of liability
HospitalCost is provided as-is. We do not warrant that the data is free of errors, fit for any particular purpose, or suitable for making medical or financial decisions. To the maximum extent permitted by law, HospitalCost, its operators, and its contributors are not liable for any damages arising from your use of the site or reliance on the data shown.
Changes
We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected in the "last updated" date above. Continuing to use the site after an update means you accept the new terms.
Contact
Richard Callaghan · richard@hospitalcost.com