Describe the question you want answered
State the service or cost question in your own words. If a Provider has already discussed a possible service with you, identify that context without treating it as a treatment recommendation from this guide. Ask the Provider which information it needs to respond.
Organize the context you already have
List the relevant information and existing records you can describe. Mark what is uncertain. Ask whether any further material is needed for this inquiry, who should supply it and why it is relevant. Do not assume that every cost question needs the same medical file set.
Ask about inclusions and exclusions
Ask: What service or assessment does the response cover? What is included? What is excluded? Which items have not been estimated? What assumptions does the amount depend on? Keep the answers beside the amount rather than comparing numbers without their scope.
Ask what could change and when to recheck
Ask whether the response may change after the Provider’s assessment, what its stated validity is, and how an update would be confirmed. Ask about any payment or insurance question directly with the responsible Provider or insurer; this guide supplies no payment instructions or coverage determination.
Separate a published offering from a personal estimate
Check which offering and terms a published amount refers to. Ask whether the reply concerns that offering or a separate estimate for your question. Record the source, date and scope so you can return to the Provider for clarification.
Compare replies with the same questions
Use the same inclusion, exclusion, assumption and validity questions for each reply. Leave unanswered fields marked as unanswered. The worksheet organizes information; it does not decide which treatment or Provider is clinically suitable.
Using ShifaTH
Hospitals have a price or cost inquiry request type. Its requirements depend on the applicable rules and context; medical reports are not automatically compulsory for every cost question. A published service can hide its price, show a fixed price, show a starting price or invite a pricing inquiry. The Provider supplies the response; neither an inquiry nor a published amount guarantees a final bill.