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Email template to ask a doctor's office for the self-pay price

You need to see a doctor and you will be paying out of your own pocket, because you have no insurance, your deductible is high enough that insurance will not pay anything yet, or the practice is out of your network. Most practices have a self-pay price, also called a cash price, that is lower than the amount they bill to insurers, but the front desk rarely offers it unless you ask. Every medical service has a five-digit billing code called a CPT code, and asking for the price by code means the number you get is for exactly what you will receive. Email gets that number in writing, so you can compare practices and hold this one to it.

Before you send

  • The reason for the visit, in one line, and whether you are a new patient. New-patient visits use different codes and cost more than follow-ups.
  • The CPT code if you know it. A new-patient office visit of average length is usually billed as 99203 and a routine follow-up as 99213. If you don't know, describe the service and let the office pick the code.
  • Whether you have insurance at all. If you do but plan to pay cash, ask whether the practice can still send the claim to your insurer so the visit counts toward your deductible, because a cash payment usually will not count otherwise.
  • Whether you can pay in full at the visit. Many practices discount for that.
  • Under the federal No Surprises Act, a provider must give an uninsured or self-pay patient a written good faith estimate of the expected cost when you schedule or when you ask. You are asking for something they are required to provide.
Subject Self-pay price for [type of visit or procedure] 
Hi [practice name] team,

I'd like to schedule [a new-patient visit / a follow-up / the procedure, for example a mole removal] with [doctor's name, if you have one], and I'll be paying myself rather than through insurance.

Could you send me your self-pay price for that visit? I believe the billing code is [CPT code, or say you're not sure of the code]. Please include anything usually billed alongside it, such as a lab draw, an in-office test or a separate facility fee, so I know the full amount.

I can pay in full on the day of the visit if that qualifies for a discount. I [do not have insurance / have a high-deductible plan with insurer name, and would like to know whether you can still submit the visit so it counts toward my deductible].

I'm hoping to be seen within [timeframe]. A written price would help me decide.

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • A good reply gives one number for the visit and says what it includes. If the reply is "it depends on what the doctor does," ask for the price of the base visit code and a price range for the add-ons they most often bill with it.
  • If they refuse to quote at all, remind them politely that self-pay patients are entitled to a good faith estimate under the No Surprises Act, and ask again. Silence after that is a reason to pick another practice.
  • Send the same email to two or three practices nearby. Self-pay prices for the same visit code vary widely, and the cheapest is not always the smallest office.
  • Bring the written quote to the appointment and pay against it. If the bill comes back higher, the email is your evidence.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Find me the self-pay price for a doctor's visit 
Hi StandIn,

Please find out what it will cost me to pay cash for a doctor's visit and get the price in writing.

The visit: [new patient or follow-up, the reason, and the procedure if any].
The practice: [practice name and location, or "any practice near me"].
My insurance: [none / high-deductible plan with insurer name].
Paying in full at the visit: [yes / no].
When I want to be seen: [timeframe].

Ask two or three practices nearby the same question, push for a number if they say "it depends," and bring me the prices side by side with what each one includes.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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