CareCostPH.com publishes healthcare cost guides to help people in the Philippines understand what they may expect to pay for medical tests, procedures, vaccinations, laboratory services, consultations, and other healthcare services.
Healthcare prices are not fixed nationwide. The same service can cost differently depending on the hospital, clinic, diagnostic center, location, doctor, package, and services included.
For that reason, our goal is not to present one price as the universal cost. Instead, we aim to show readers realistic price information supported by identifiable sources and clear context. This page explains how CareCostPH.com researches and presents healthcare prices.
Our Research Process
When preparing a price guide, we generally follow several steps.
1. We Identify the Exact Healthcare Service
We first determine exactly what the reader is searching for. For example, “CT scan price” can refer to different examinations such as:
- Head CT scan
- Chest CT scan
- Abdominal CT scan
- CT scan with contrast
- CT scan without contrast
- Different body areas or protocols
Likewise, vaccine prices may differ according to:
- Vaccine brand
- Number of doses
- Type of vaccine
- Whether administration fees are included
- Whether the vaccine is provided through a hospital, clinic, pharmacy, or vaccination center
We try to avoid combining significantly different services into one misleading price.
2. We Look for Primary Sources First
Whenever practical, CareCostPH.com gives priority to information published directly by the organization providing the healthcare service.
Primary sources may include:
- Official hospital websites
- Official clinic websites
- Diagnostic center websites
- Laboratory websites
- Official price lists
- Published service packages
- Official hospital announcements
- Official social media pages operated by healthcare providers
- Government healthcare websites
- PhilHealth resources
- Department of Health resources
When an official provider publishes a price for a service, we generally consider that more useful than a price repeated by an unrelated third-party website.
3. We Compare Multiple Providers When Possible
Healthcare costs can vary significantly from one provider to another. When enough reliable information is available, we try to review prices from multiple hospitals, clinics, laboratories, diagnostic centers, or other providers rather than relying on a single example.
This helps readers understand whether a price is:
- Relatively low
- Around the middle of the observed range
- Relatively high
- Part of a special package
- Specific to one provider
Where useful, articles may include comparison tables showing provider names and publicly available prices.
4. We Check What the Quoted Price Includes
A headline price does not always represent the patient’s total bill. When the information is available, we try to determine whether a price includes or excludes items such as:
- Professional fees
- Doctor’s fees
- Facility fees
- Contrast material
- Medicines
- Medical supplies
- Anesthesia
- Laboratory tests
- Radiologist interpretation
- Vaccine administration fees
- Consultation fees
- Other related services
If we cannot determine exactly what is included, we aim to make that uncertainty clear rather than assuming.
5. We Record the Source and Date
Healthcare prices can change. For important pricing information, we aim to record:
- The healthcare provider
- The service or procedure
- The published or observed price
- The source
- The date the information was checked
Articles may display labels such as:
Price checked: September 2026
These dates help readers understand how recently the information was researched. A review date does not guarantee that every healthcare provider listed has kept its prices unchanged since that date.
Our Source Priority
When several sources are available, we generally prefer them in approximately this order:
1. Official healthcare provider price list or service page
2. Official hospital, clinic, laboratory, or diagnostic center website
3. Official provider announcement or verified provider communication
4. Philippine government or public healthcare source
5. Reputable healthcare organization or institution
6. Other credible publicly available sources
We try not to rely on anonymous websites, unsourced price claims, automatically generated estimates, or forum comments as the primary basis for published healthcare prices.
What We Mean by “Estimated Price”
The words estimated price, typical cost, expected price, or price range indicate that the amount should not be treated as a guaranteed quote.
An estimate may be based on:
- Prices from multiple providers
- Currently published healthcare packages
- Previously published provider pricing
- Available local price information
- Comparable services from relevant healthcare facilities
Whenever possible, we prefer actual provider pricing over estimates. If reliable current pricing is insufficient, we aim to make that limitation clear.
Location Matters
Healthcare costs in Metro Manila may differ from prices in Cebu, Davao, provincial cities, or smaller municipalities. Where sufficient information is available, CareCostPH.com may provide separate examples or ranges by location.
We do not assume that a Manila price applies throughout the Philippines.
Prices Change
Healthcare providers can change their prices at any time.
Reasons may include:
- New equipment
- Supply costs
- Medicine costs
- Professional fee changes
- New service packages
- Promotional campaigns
- Changes in healthcare policies
- Inflation or operating costs
This means even carefully researched information can eventually become outdated.
Readers should always request the current price directly from the provider before making a final decision.
What We Do Not Do
To protect the usefulness of our pricing information, CareCostPH.com does not intentionally:
- Invent healthcare prices
- Create fictional hospital quotations
- Present AI-generated numbers as verified prices
- Claim a nationwide fixed price when none exists
- Hide major known additional charges
- Present expired promotions as normal current prices
- Claim affiliation with healthcare providers when no such relationship exists
- Guarantee that a reader will pay a specific amount
If reliable price information is unavailable, we prefer to explain that limitation rather than manufacture a precise figure.
Use of Artificial Intelligence and Research Tools
CareCostPH.com may use software and artificial intelligence-assisted tools to help organize research, compare information, edit content, structure tables, or improve readability. These tools are not treated as authoritative sources for healthcare prices.
A price should not be published simply because an AI system generated or suggested it. Important healthcare pricing claims should be connected to appropriate source information whenever practical.
Updating Existing Price Guides
We periodically review important price guides.
An article may be updated when:
- A provider publishes a new price
- A promotion expires
- New providers are added
- An existing source disappears
- Government information changes
- A reader reports outdated information
- A healthcare provider sends verifiable updated information
We may update parts of an article without changing information that remains valid.
What Happens When Sources Disagree?
Different sources sometimes show different prices for what appears to be the same service. This may happen because of differences in:
- Date
- Branch
- Package inclusions
- Procedure type
- Professional fees
- Promotional pricing
- Patient category
When possible, we investigate the reason. If the difference cannot be confidently explained, we may present both prices with appropriate context rather than choosing one without evidence.
Last reviewed: September 2026