Financial Assistance Plain Language Summary
Sheppard Pratt is dedicated to providing patients with the highest quality of care and service.
To assist our patients, and to comply with Federal and Maryland State laws, we offer the following information about our Financial Assistance Policy (FAP).
Eligibility for Financial Assistance
Under the Sheppard Pratt FAP, certain uninsured and underinsured patients may be eligible to receive financial assistance for the cost of emergency and medically necessary hospital services. Patients eligible for financial assistance under the FAP will not be charged more for emergency or medically necessary care than the amount generally billed to insured patients. Eligibility is based on gross family income and family size of the patient and/or responsible person. Annual income criteria used will be 300% of the current federal poverty guidelines as established yearly in the Federal Register. Assets and liabilities will also be considered. Financial assistance may be awarded up to 100% of medical charges.
Applying for Financial Assistance
Patients seeking financial assistance must complete an application form and provide the supporting documentation requested in the FAP and the application form. A free copy of the FAP and the application form is available from any of the following:
In Person: Any of our Patient registration locations/offices; or
The Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt
6501 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21204
In Writing:
Sheppard Pratt
Attn: Financial Assistance
P.O. Box 6815
Baltimore, MD 21285-6815
Phone: 410-938-3370, or toll free at 1-800-264-0949; Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
To schedule an appointment for help with an application form, a patient may contact a Sheppard Pratt representative at the phone number listed above or visit The Conference Center at Sheppard Pratt. Translations of the FAP, the application form, and this plain language summary are available in the following languages upon request: Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Urdu, and Vietnamese. For other languages, translation assistance may be available upon request.
Patient Rights
Those patients that meet the financial assistance policy criteria described above may receive assistance from the hospital in paying their bill. If you believe you have been wrongly referred to a collection agency, you have the right to contact the Sheppard Pratt business office at 410-938-3370 or toll free at 1-800-264-0949.
You may be eligible for Maryland Medical Assistance. Medical Assistance is a program funded jointly by the State and Federal governments and it pays up to the full cost of health coverage for low-income individuals who meet certain criteria. In some cases, you may have to apply and be denied for this coverage prior to being eligible for Sheppard Pratt financial assistance.
For more information regarding the application process for Maryland Medical Assistance, please call your local Department of Social Services by phone 1-800-332-6347 or via the internet (www.dhr.state.md.us).
Patient Obligations
For those patients with the ability to pay, it is their obligation to pay in a timely manner. Sheppard Pratt makes every effort to see that patient accounts are properly billed, and in-patients may expect to receive a uniform summary statement within 30 days of discharge. It is the patient’s responsibility to provide correct insurance information.
If you do not have health coverage, we expect you to pay the bill in a timely manner. If you believe that you may be eligible under the Sheppard Pratt FAP, or if you cannot afford to pay the bill in full, you should contact us as noted above
If you fail to meet the financial obligations of your bill, you may be referred to a collection agency. It is the obligation of the patient to assure the hospital obtains accurate and complete information. If your financial position changes, you have an obligation to contact Sheppard Pratt to provide updated information.
Physicians who care for patients at Sheppard Pratt during an inpatient stay bill separately and their charges are not included on your hospital billing statement.
CMS Price Transparency
The file posted here reflects charges for items and services provided by Sheppard Pratt as of January 1, 2023. This type of file is commonly referred to as the hospital’s “chargemaster.” In Maryland, the average rate for hospital services is regulated by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), a state regulatory agency. The HSCRC sets average hospital rates on January 1 and July 1 every year. Sheppard Pratt, and all other Maryland hospitals, plan to post this information semi-annually, on January 1 and July 1 to coincide with hospital rate setting. Hospital charges do not include charges for physician services, commonly referred to as professional fees, which are separate from the hospital bill.
Though the state sets hospital rates as of a certain date, hospital charges are allowed to fluctuate during the course of the year, and, detailed charges for certain items may be different than the average approved rate that covers a large group of services. That means charges on individual hospital bills may be different than the charges posted here. This is both allowable and normal as hospitals adjust charges frequently to comply with other regulations. Rates are set on average, and the underlying service charges may vary because they are components of the average. Sheppard Pratt, and other Maryland Hospitals, believe that it is impractical to update charges that are posted more than twice per year because charges change frequently.
For more information, please contact our Patient Fiscal Services Department at 410-938-5046.
Click here to download the hospital chargemaster. This file was last updated on January 1, 2023.
Price Transparency Disclaimer
Sheppard Pratt is committed to empowering patients, in partnership with their care team, to make informed decisions about their healthcare. This includes helping patients understand the cost of their care, as well as financial assistance that may be available. Because every patient and care plan is unique, we encourage you to call us at 410-938-5046 for an accurate and personalized price estimate for your care.
In compliance with federal law, Sheppard Pratt provides a list of standard charges. The list charge of a hospital service is not equivalent to the actual amount paid by governmental or commercial insurance companies; accordingly, each patient’s financial responsibility may vary. The amount a patient pays is based on many factors, including health insurance, benefit plans and other applicable discounts, and the services provided based on each patient’s unique needs. The list of standard charges is not a contract or guarantee of the actual costs for the services that may be provided to you.
In addition, you may incur other charges from physicians and other providers separate from the hospital charges for the services identified in the list of standard charges. The other charges could include, for example, pathology, radiology, anesthesia, emergency care, and other physician or surgeon charges. These services may be billed directly by your physician or another third-party provider. Some services, including certain drugs, radiology and CLIA-certified labs, for example, are only available for inpatients and are not provided by Sheppard Pratt in the outpatient setting.
Sheppard Pratt reviews and updates this list of standard charges annually. As a result, the listed charges may not reflect the current charges for every item and service and the listed charges are subject to change at any time without notice.