Facility fee
Updated September 30, 2026
Definition
A charge from a hospital or other facility for the use of its space, staff, and equipment. It's billed separately from the doctor's own fee.
A facility fee is what a hospital or surgery center charges for the setting where you got care. It's separate from what the doctor charges for their own work. You'll often see it after care in a hospital outpatient department, including a clinic that's part of a hospital.
Medicare notes that the same care can cost you more in a hospital outpatient setting than in a doctor's office. For example, say a doctor bills $150 for a clinic visit. If the clinic is a hospital outpatient department, the hospital may also bill a $200 facility fee. Your total is $350, not $150.
Before planned care, ask whether you'll get a facility fee and how much it might be. If you're paying without insurance, a good faith estimate should include it. If a fee looks wrong, see our guide to facility fees on a medical bill.
Related terms
Guides that use this term
- GuideFacility fees: what they are and when to push backA facility fee is the hospital's charge for its part of an outpatient visit. Learn why it can raise your cost, how to ask first, and when to question it.
- GuideHow to get an itemized hospital bill (script and letter)Your hospital bill shows only totals? Here's how to get an itemized bill, with a phone script, a short letter, your rights, and what to check first.
- Start hereHow to read a medical bill (and check it against your EOB)Learn each part of a medical bill and your EOB, what billing codes mean, and why 1 visit brings several bills. Then check what you owe before you pay.
Sources
- Outpatient hospital services, Medicare.gov. Accessed September 30, 2026.
- Know your medical bill rights when not using insurance, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Accessed September 30, 2026.
This is general information, not legal or medical advice. Rules can depend on your plan and your state. Romi Care isn't an insurer, law firm, collection agency, or government program.