The Unseen Costs of Care

Controlling costs is a top priority at Novant Health, but it's also important to understand what is needed to provide you with safe and quality care.

The price you see on a hospital bill reflects more than just the services provided. It is all inclusive for what it takes to run a hospital. It covers the physician and nursing staff, laboratory technicians, food and environmental services, security personnel and administrative staff. It's expensive to keep medical centers operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Quality and safety also need to be factored in to the final costs. Novant Health is better today at heart surgery and hip replacements than we were 10 years ago. But being better requires us to invest in expensive technology, equipment, training and staff. For heart care, we are now affiliated with Cleveland Clinic, world renown for its quality programs.

To better understand pricing and costs, you should start by researching the quality of the physicians and hospitals. Novant Health is committed to providing you with quality care, and top-rated programs and services require investment. High-quality programs add value to care, which can be more expensive. At Novant Health, you will find we score high on patient safety and overall hospital rating.

We recommend you start by visiting the following sites:

• Hospital Compare
• North Carolina Hospital Performance Quality Report

The Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality is another informational site for state quality and patient safety. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,500 U.S. healthcare organizations and programs that meet high performance standards.