Revenue Cycle & Payments
Good-Faith Estimates for Self-Pay Patients: Getting It Right in 2026
The No Surprises Act requires good-faith estimates for uninsured and self-pay patients. A plain-language guide to staying compliant without slowing your schedule.
Who needs one
Any uninsured or self-pay patient who schedules care is entitled to a good-faith estimate of expected charges. The estimate should reflect the services reasonably expected for the item or visit scheduled, including related items the provider could reasonably anticipate.
Make it repeatable
Build GFE templates for your most common visits and procedures so staff generate them in minutes, not hours.
Document how the estimate was produced and keep copies with the encounter record.
Review the process quarterly — undercharging in the estimate is safer than overcharging, and disputes have their own rules.
How Precision helps
We build GFE workflows, templates, and staff training as part of a practice-consulting engagement, so compliance becomes routine rather than a scramble at scheduling.
Related service
Practice ConsultingSometimes the claim is not the problem. The process behind it is.
This article is for general information and is not legal advice. Rules change often — confirm current requirements with CMS, your payers, or counsel.