You are likely to receive at least 2 separate bills for services rendered. For one visit you may receive a bill from:
- Private physicians who provided services
- Your own primary care physician
- The Hospital/Facility—charges for any hospital services
At Children’s Hospital, we bill for the hospital services only.
By law, the doctors who practice at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland hospitals are independent contractors and not employees of the hospital. As independent contractors, they bill for their services separately—as does the hospital.
If multiple doctors representing different specialties provide services during your stay in the hospital, then you will receive a bill from each of the doctors who provided care to you during your stay. Sometimes, this includes doctors you may not realize provided care to you, such as the radiologist who read and interpreted your x-ray.
For example: If your child is a patient that has an outpatient surgery—you will receive a billing statement from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland for the hospital facility charges. You will also receive separate billing statements from the physicians performing your surgery and the anesthesiologist.
Some doctors are not in-network even though the hospital is. As independent contractors, the doctors who work in our hospitals are free to contract with any health plan. Because these doctors are independent, the hospital does not require that they be "in-network." To be certain about your coverage, you must check with your insurance plan about a particular provider's status.
Patient balances due may also influence what bills you will receive for a visit:
- If an unpaid balance remains after all insurances have processed your claim, you will receive a billing statement.
- You may also receive a billing statement from us if your insurance does not pay your claim.