US Medical Term · billing
Chargemaster
Lista de Precios del Hospital
In 9 languages
| Language | Term |
|---|---|
| English | Chargemaster |
| Spanish (Español) | Lista de Precios del Hospital |
| Chinese (中文) | 医院收费主表 |
| Korean (한국어) | 병원 요금표 |
| Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) | Bảng giá dịch vụ bệnh viện |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Listahan ng Presyo ng Ospital |
| Portuguese (Português) | Tabela de Preços do Hospital |
| Thai (ภาษาไทย) | บัญชีอัตราค่าบริการของโรงพยาบาล |
| Japanese (日本語) | 病院料金マスター |
What it means
A chargemaster—also called a charge description master (CDM)—is a hospital's internal list of standard prices for every service, procedure, drug, supply, and room charge it provides. These list prices are almost never what patients or insurers actually pay; in practice, insurers negotiate large discounts off chargemaster rates, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid set their own payment rates independently. Under the Hospital Price Transparency Rule, most U.S. hospitals must post their chargemaster rates and negotiated prices publicly online. While chargemaster prices can feel alarming, the key numbers to focus on are your insurer's allowed amount and your share of cost-sharing. If you are uninsured, ask about financial assistance or the hospital's amounts generally billed policy.
How to say it
Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:
The chargemaster listed the surgery at $80,000, but my insurer only paid $12,000.
La lista de precios del hospital mostró la cirugía en $80,000, pero mi aseguradora solo pagó $12,000.
I looked up the chargemaster on the hospital website before my procedure.
Consulté la lista de precios del hospital en el sitio web antes de mi procedimiento.
The chargemaster price is just a starting point—negotiated rates are much lower.
El precio de la lista de precios del hospital es solo un punto de partida; las tarifas negociadas son mucho más bajas.
Where you'll see it
Related terms
Sources
Last reviewed: September 2026