Clinical worker talking with male patient

Paying for Your Stay

Pennsylvania hospitals believe that patients and their families should have as much information as they can get to make the best decisions about their care and to be protected from the financial burdens of unexpected medical bills.

Though insurers are in the best position to help patients understand what is considered in network or out of network, everyone providing health care services has a role to play in helping consumers navigate the complicated health care delivery system.

Hospitals are working to help patients understand their financial responsibility by:

  • Offering a special help-line number for billing/pricing questions
  • Having patient advocates and financial counselors on-hand to meet with families in person or via telephone call
  • Providing cost estimator tools to estimate out-of-pocket costs
  • Holding educational sessions about paying for hospital services

Patients also can use the price estimators and provider network information at health plan websites and talk to their provider about quality, value, and cost treatment options.



HAP News


May 27, 2026

Solving Workforce Shortages by Creating Health Care Career Pipelines

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

UPMC is expanding workforce development efforts through its “Pathways to Work” program, focusing on creating career “on-ramps” into high-demand health care and skilled trade professions. The initiative combines job navigational support, paid apprenticeships, training programs, mentorship, and collaborations with workforce investment boards.

May 26, 2026

WHO: Ebola ‘Outpacing Us’

The Ebola outbreak is spreading rapidly, with 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths, but the risk of global spread remains low, public health officials said this week.

May 20, 2026

How St. Luke’s is Building Connections for Better Health in Rural Communities

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

Hands-on medical training in rural communities builds connections that leaders at St. Luke’s University Health Network are hoping will relieve the doctor shortage commonly found there.

The strategy is based on strong evidence that physicians are more likely to stay and practice where they train, according to Danielle Godfrey, MHA, manager, rural graduate medical education (GME) programs, and Micah Gursky, director, business development and government relations, who presented their findings during HAP’s recent Workforce Summit.

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