Patients and Families Billing FAQs
Supporting you every step of the way
At Texas Children's, we are committed to transparency and want to educate you, our patient families, regarding our billing process and your financial obligations. Below are frequently asked questions on billing at Texas Children's.
Outpatient Facility Fee FAQs
A facility fee represents the hospital facility, services and supplies utilized during an outpatient hospital-based clinic visit. This includes hospital labor, equipment, technology and supplies.
A hospital-based clinic is an outpatient department owned and operated by the hospital that provides both professional and hospital services. These clinics may be located within proximity to the hospital in a medical office building, or away from the hospital in the community.
Most of our specialty care clinics are hospital-based clinics because they are licensed as outpatient departments of the hospital. Texas Children’s Pediatrics (TCP) and Texas Children’s Urgent Care (TCUC) are licensed ambulatory locations and are not subject to these fees.
Telehealth/video visits and specialty care services provided in Texas Children's Pediatrics and Texas Children's Urgent Care practices.
Health plans assign benefits to patients based on the plan that an individual selects during an open enrollment period. Patient out-of-pocket responsibilities are dictated by these assigned benefits.
Good faith estimates are provided by Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) prior to an appointment to provide transparency on how your health plan benefits may impact your out-of-pocket. You will receive this through MyChart or email.
If a patient sees more than one Texas Children's Hospital provider in the same hospital-based clinic, the patient receives only one facility fee charge.
Appointments at multiple Texas Children's Hospital hospital-based clinics on the same day are subject to separate facility fee charges.
The updated Cost Estimate tool on Texas Children’s website will reflect these reduced fees for greater accuracy.
It may be an independent doctor’s office not owned by a hospital.
In addition to considering the costs of delivering on our mission, we use industry benchmarks for both Texas pediatric hospitals and the U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) top 10 Pediatric Hospitals to determine how to structure our fees. For this year, we took the USNWR averages and reduced them by 20% to minimize the impact on our patients.
Facility fees help cover the hospital services, staff, and technology that make exceptional care possible in our hospital-based clinics. We know affordability matters, which is why we’ve lowered these fees by 20% compared to top children’s hospitals.
Facility fees are part of the overall cost of services at hospital-based clinics. Out-of-pocket amounts depend on each family’s health plan, but we provide up-front cost estimates and financial assistance options to ensure families have clarity before their visits. You can find our Cost Estimate tool here.
Most specialty care visits at our hospital-based clinics include a facility fee. Primary care (Texas Children’s Pediatrics), urgent care, and telehealth visits are not subject to facility fees. You can always check your estimate through our online Cost Estimate tool here.
Independent clinics may not charge facility fees because they are not licensed as hospital-based clinics. At Texas Children’s, these fees help us provide the specialized care, equipment, and staff that families rely on, and we are actively lowering them to keep the high-quality care you trust affordable.
Great question. Our updated online Cost Estimate tool reflects the reduced fees so you can see your expected costs in advance. Families will also receive good faith estimates through MyChart or via email before an appointment.
If your child sees more than one provider in the same hospital-based clinic on the same day, only one facility fee is charged. If visits occur at multiple different hospital-based clinics, each clinic visit may have its own facility fee.
Additional Resources
We’re dedicated to supporting you and your family throughout your journey, providing a variety of resources to inform you along the way. If you have additional questions regarding billing, please reach out to our resources below.
Pre-Service (Estimates)
(832) 824-2004
Customer Service (Billing)
(832) 824-2300 or (800) 722-2570
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday
Family Advocacy
(832) 824-1919