User's Guide 
Introduction
Charge Chart Notes
WV Hospital Services and Departments
Procedures Not Listed
Data Sources
Learn How to Use CompareCareWV™
Medical Dictionary
Contact
CompareCareWV™
Introduction to CompareCareWV™
The goal of CompareCareWV™ is to enable patients and their families to be more involved in choosing the hospital that is right for their care by having knowledge about West Virginia hospital charges, quality of care, and related health options. Use the CompareCareWV™ information in consultation with your physician and other health care providers.
CompareCareWV™ provides listings of West Virginia hospital and professional average charges, in simple chart form, according to the medical procedure, service or diagnostic tests needed. The chart allows patients to compare what different West Virginia hospitals charge on average for the same service. Begin by clicking on either the Procedure or Hospital picture. Follow the few prompts to create a chart displaying both facility and professional charges according to the selected medical service.
NOTE: Because each patient's medical needs vary, final comprehensive charges may be different than the charges displayed in CompareCareWV™, which are averages for the chosen service.
Quality of Care Reports
CompareCareWV™ provides links to several national agencies that publish reports on the quality of care provided by West Virginia hospitals. This information is found in the Quality of Care Reports section.
Related Sites
The Related Sites section provides links to over 75 health-related national, state and local organizations. For additional reading on disease management, the latest health news, or medical reports, look in this section.
West Virginia Hospital Services
Under the West Virginia Hospital Services tab, consumers can find out which hospitals offer what services or departments. Service options are presented in this section.
Physician/Provider Information
Physicians and providers can find in-depth information on the data sources, inclusions and calculation methods chosen to prepare the CompareCareWV™ data. Although this section is open to all visitors, it will be most useful to health care professionals.
Charge Chart Notes
1. Selected Procedure - The specific medical service according to the selection made in the Procedure section of CompareCareWV™.
NOTE: Not all medical services are available for selection. If your service is not listed, please contact your hospital(s) of choice for charge details. You may also contact the WV Health Care Authority (see the Contact Us section) for charge details.
2. Hospital Name - All hospitals are located in West Virginia. Each hospital name is clickable and will lead to more information about that facility.
3. Patient Status (In/Out Patient) - Indicates that the displayed charges are based on whether the service is performed on an inpatient or outpatient basis.
4. Average Facility Charge - This is the average charge for the nonprofessional aspects of a service. This may include, but is not limited to, items such as room and board, supplies, pharmacy and laboratory.
5. Average Professional Charge - This is the average charge for services performed by licensed or certified health professionals within the hospital setting. These may include, but are not limited to physicians, anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, etc.
6. Average Total Charge - This is the sum of the Facility Charge and the Professional Charge.
Procedures or Tests Not Listed
The medical services listed in the Procedure Section of CompareCareWV™ are those that are used frequently by West Virginians. In other words, they are "high volume services."
More procedures and tests will be added, again based on volume and by the requests of CompareCareWV™ users. Contact us to submit a request for the inclusion of a specific procedure or test.
My local hospital is not listed for the service I requested. Why?
Not all hospitals in West Virginia offer all the same services. And, some hospitals may offer a procedure or test, but it is not performed often enough to make the charges "statistically valid."
If your chosen hospital is not displayed for a selected service, ask your physician or the hospital personnel for more information. You may also contact CompareCareWV™ for more information. (Contact us to request help.)
WV Hospital Services & Departments Section
The following definitions are taken from the American Hospital Association’s annual survey of hospitals.
General Medical Surgery - Provides acute care to patients in medical and surgical units on the basis of physicians’ orders and approved nursing care plans.
Pediatric Medical Surgery - Provides acute care to pediatric patients on the basis of physicians’ orders and approved nursing care plans.
Obstetrics - Levels should be designated: (1) unit provides services for uncomplicated maternity and newborn cases; (2) unit provides services for uncomplicated cases, the majority of complicated problems, and special neonatal services; and (3) unit provides services for all serious illnesses and abnormalities and is supervised by a full-time maternal/fetal specialist.
Surgical Intensive Care (Medical surgical intensive care services) - Provides patient care of a more intensive nature than the usual medical and surgical care, on the basis of physician’s orders and approved nursing care plans. These units are staffed with specially trained nursing personnel and contain monitoring and specialized support equipment of patients, who, because of shock, trauma, or other life-threatening conditions, require intensified, comprehensive observation and care. Includes mixed intensive care units.
Neonatal Intensive Care - A unit that must be separate from the newborn nursery providing intensive care to all sick infants including those with the very lowest birth weights (less than 1500 grams). NICU has potential for providing mechanical ventilation, neonatal surgery, and special care for the sickest infants born in the hospital or transferred from another institution. A full-time neonatologist serves as director of the NICU.
Emergency Services (Emergency Department) - Hospital facilities for the provision of unscheduled outpatient services to patients whose conditions require immediate care. Must be staffed 24 hours a day.
Hospital Outpatient Care (Hospital-based outpatient care center services) - Organized hospital health care services offered by appointment on an ambulatory basis. Services may include outpatient surgery, examination, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety medical conditions on a nonemergency basis, and laboratory and other diagnostic testing as ordered by staff or outside physician referral.
Orthopedic Services - Services provided for the prevention or correction of injuries or disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments.
Outpatient Surgery - Scheduled surgical services provided to patients who do not remain in the hospital overnight. The surgery may be performed in operating suites also used for inpatient surgery, specially designated surgical suites for outpatient surgery, or procedure rooms within an outpatient care facility.
Oncology Services - An organized program for the treatment of cancer by the use of drugs or chemicals.
Data Sources
CompareCareWV™ charge information will be updated quarterly by the West Virginia Health Care Authority from data obtained from the WV Public Employee Insurance Agency and Medicaid. The charges will reflect a 24-month look-back period. Please contact your chosen hospital if you have additional questions about your specific charges.
Patient charges for West Virginians enrolled in both the Medicaid program and the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) have been used to calculate the average charges displayed in CompareCareWV™.
NOTE: Individual charges will likely differ somewhat, based on:
If you have health insurance,
The type of health insurance according to deductibles, copays, covered services
and other pertinent factors,
Your specific medical condition(s),
Services received in addition to the primary procedure or test.
CompareCareWV™ data is helpful in discussing options with your physician and in contrasting basic charges among West Virginia hospitals.
CompareCareWV™ is a project of the West Virginia Health Care Authority, a state agency.
Learn How to Use CompareCareWV™
Laura
and Joe just found out they will be having a second baby. This may be a difficult
pregnancy with a c-section delivery. Laura and Joe have a lot of questions
about services and charges for maternity care in the Charleston Huntington
area. They will use CompareCareWV™
to find:
• The range of charges for a normal delivery;
• The hospitals having experience in C-section deliveries, with or
without complications; and,
• The location of neonatal intensive care units. (more)
Andy
lives close to Franklin, which is in Pendleton County, He has children living
in Fairmont and Princeton. Andy needs a heart stress test and he wants one
of his children to be with him when it is performed. Andy will be paying
for the test himself. He wants to find:
• The lowest cost in Fairmont, Princeton or within 50 miles of Franklin;
and,
• Hospitals with surgical intensive care units in case he needs an
operation. (more)
Medical Dictionary
For consumer-friendly definitions of medical terms, please visit the Medical Dictionary Online.
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