Can I request a private room for my hospital stay?

Can I request a private room for my hospital stay?

Arthur Shorr (Former COO and SVP of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: How will a hospital know that I need to come in for a medical procedure?; Can I request a private room for my hospital stay?; What should I bring with me for my hospital stay? and more...

You can request a private room, and some hospitals have a large number of private rooms; some have a limited number of private rooms. You may be assigned a private room based on the nature of your medical needs. For example, if you have an infectious disease or if you have another condition that requires a level of privacy, your doctor will order that for you. If it is not medically necessary, most insurance companies will not pay for private rooms and you will be asked to pay the additional cost of a private room. Again, it's important for you, particularly in the pre-admitting process, to ask those questions of the admissions clerk and understand how much the charge would be, so you can make a decision as to whether or not you wish to make that payment for a private room or not.