Anesthesia Billing

How are anesthesia services billed?

Your anesthesiologist will bill separately for his or her professional services, as will your surgeon and the other physicians who provide services for you while you are hospitalized. The hospital will issue a separate bill for all of the services and items the hospital provided during your hospitalization and that bill will include charges for the hospital’s role in the delivery of anesthesia services. For more information about hospital billings, you may contact our Patient Financial Services Customer Service line at 1-415-925-7070. This is available Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. You also have the option of sending an e-mail to PFS@mymarinhealth.org. They can provide you with detailed information about billing for hospital services, including providing estimates of the expected cost of most surgeries and procedures.

How does MarinHealth charge for the hospital’s role in providing anesthesia services?

MarinHealth’s role in providing anesthesia services is based on the specific type(s) of anesthesia service(s) a patient receives.

• General Anesthesia
  There are two levels of general anesthesia in the operating room – complex and standard general anesthesia. We charge one flat amount for both standard and complex general anesthesia services for cases lasting up to and including 180 minutes. For cases lasting longer than 180 minutes, there is a different, higher charge. This charge structure is designed to take into account that cases lasting over 180 minutes require more hospital resources.
• Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC)
  For monitored anesthesia care provided in the operating room and any other department where the services are rendered, MarinHealth has established a single flat rate charge. There are no charges for anesthetic gases, because they are not used, but there are separate pharmacy charges for the drugs used, including any epidural, spinal or nerve blocks and the drugs used to sedate the patient.
• Conscious Sedation
  For conscious sedation, there are incremental time charges for this procedure regardless of where it takes place in the hospital (except for the Endoscopy Unit where it is not charged), e.g. – initial first 30 minutes, and each additional 15 minutes until the procedure is completed. There are no charges for anesthetic gases, because they are not used, but there are separate pharmacy charges for the drugs used, including the drugs used to sedate the patient.
• Epidurals, Spinals and Nerve Blocks
  For epidurals, spinals and nerve blocks with minimal sedation in the operating room, there will be pharmacy charges for the drugs used, including the epidural block and the drugs used to sedate the patient, but there will not be a separate anesthesia service charge. The exception to this rule is in the labor and delivery area, where there may be a flat "epidural management" charge in certain situations.

What is MarinHealth’s role in delivering anesthesia services?

MarinHealth provides the equipment, supplies, and staff required to safely and effectively deliver anesthesia services in the hospital. The specific resources provided by the hospital vary depending on the type of anesthesia service rendered and your particular medical condition. The hospital provides the anesthesia gases and other drugs, as noted above.

Who can I contact for more information regarding MarinHealth’s charges for providing anesthesia services?

For questions about anesthesia charges or any other hospital charges or billing questions you may contact our Patient Financial Services Customer Service line at 1-415-925-7070. This is available Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. You also have the option of sending an e-mail to PFS@mymarinhealth.org. They can provide you with detailed information about billings for hospital services, including providing estimates of the expected cost of most surgeries and procedures.