Revenue code 0360
Operating room charge
The hospital's charge for use of an operating room. Most hospitals bill it by time, in blocks of 15 or 30 minutes, at a rate set by the room type or the complexity of the surgery. It sits alongside the surgeon's fee, the anesthesiologist's fee and the anesthesia department line (0370), all of which are separate.
Where this line goes wrong
Minutes are the whole argument
The operating room record notes when you entered and left the room. The billed time should match. Hospitals count from wheels-in to wheels-out; anything beyond that, or a start time before you arrived, inflates the line.
Room level and surgery level
Many hospitals charge different rates by surgical complexity tier. A minor procedure billed at a major-surgery room rate is a common finding on an itemized bill.
Recovery is separate
Time in recovery is billed under 0710, not 0360. If the OR minutes seem to include your recovery time, the two lines overlap.
Want to know if this line is right on your own bill? Upload it to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute.
Check my bill for freeCheck it, then ask
- 1
Ask for the itemized bill and the operating room record, and compare the billed minutes with the recorded in and out times.
- 2
Ask which room or complexity tier was billed and why.
- 3
If you were quoted an estimate before surgery, compare the OR line to it; a good faith estimate for self-pay patients can be disputed if the final bill is substantially higher.
The full walkthrough for this kind of bill: You got a surgery bill.
Upload the bill to a free mediloop account. An automatic first look reads the charges and shows what looks worth questioning, usually in about a minute. If you want a specialist to dispute it for you, it is a flat $129, refunded in full if the bill isn't lowered by at least $129.
Check my bill for freeNot sure the bill is worth fighting? Run the free savings calculator first
People also ask
Why is the operating room charge higher than the surgeon's fee?
It usually is. The room charge is the hospital's way of recovering the cost of the facility, staff and equipment, and it is priced by time. It is also the line with the most room for a discount if you are paying yourself.
Does the operating room charge include supplies and implants?
No, those are billed under separate revenue codes (0270 series for supplies, 0278 for implants). Check that supply lines are not also inside the room rate.
Sources
This page explains a billing code in general terms. It is not a coding, legal or medical opinion about your bill, and the code descriptions are mediloop's own plain-English summaries, not the official CPT descriptors, which are owned by the American Medical Association. Whether a charge was correct depends on the record of your visit and your payer's rules.