Patients' Shares is a term used to describe the amount of money that patients are responsible for paying out-of-pocket for their medical care. The term is often used in conjunction with the term 'copays, ' which is a six-letter word used to describe the fixed amount that a patient must pay for a particular service or medication. Copays are typically a small percentage of the total cost of the service or medication, and they are usually due at the time of service.