If you have not received a bill, call Patient Financial Services at For more information about Fairview Range Charity Care program, please call Patient Financial Services at or toll-free In this section. Common questions about our Charity Care Programs Fairview's Charity Care programs offer financial help to patients who are unable to pay for medical care. Can I still apply for financial help? Why do I need to look for other funds before I receive financial help?
Will I have to pay anything if I am approved? Can I still apply for Charity Care? Does Fairview offer other discounts besides Charity Care? I am on Medicare. Hospitals are required to help low-income patients cover their medical bills through charity care. This helps ensure that everyone is able to get the care they need.
Learn more about how to understand your hospital bill by downloading this brochure or this Word template. You can also contact the Washington State Department of Health, which regulates hospitals. See their webpage here or call If you have questions about the law, you can contact the charity care program at CharityCare doh.
The rules implementing the law can be found in the Washington Administrative Code at Chapter , Section At WSHA, we continue to work with our member hospitals and health systems to make it easier to apply for and get charity care. We created a standardized charity care application form that is available in multiple languages.
We are pleased to say that these forms have been adopted by more than 90 percent of our member hospitals. Our goal is to make it easy for patients to know when help is available, and make it easy for hospitals to follow the law and provide compassion to patients in financial distress. Hospital finances remain one of the trickiest elements of health care.
Running a hospital is expensive. Again, Charity Care policies vary greatly. You are more likely to be eligible if both of the items below apply to you:.
In addition, some hospitals and medical groups will only allow Charity Care if you were uninsured when you received the treatment. Similarly, some hospitals and medical groups may deny Charity Care if you were eligible for health insurance, but refused to apply for it. One thing to keep in mind is that a hospital's Charity Care policy may not apply to the medical groups that practice within the hospital.
Hospitals contract with medical groups to provide services inside the hospital. Medical groups are made up of doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical providers, including some you may never meet. The hospital's financial assistance policy does not always apply to the medical groups - it just depends upon the hospital and medical group. Some groups have their own separate policy. Another thing to keep in mind is that even if you qualify for full Charity Care for an old hospital bill, that doesn't mean the hospital or doctor has to provide future treatment for free.
To apply for financial assistance, contact the billing department of your hospital and ask to apply for financial assistance. Also ask if medical groups in the hospital follow the same policy. If they don't, call the medical group to see if they have their own policy that you can apply for. Even if the hospital bills are very old, you may still be able to get financial assistance based on your current financial situation.
You should act as soon as possible - even if your bills have been sent to collections. What do I do if I'm denied charity care or I believe I should get a larger discount? If you are denied Charity Care, you should ask the hospital or medical group to reconsider the denial. This may not be a formal process, but most hospitals allow a chance to appeal. Be sure and find out the exact reason why your application was denied.
There are two basic reasons why your request for financial assistance may be denied:. Call to reach Health Connect.
At this point, you may want to try to work out a reasonable payment plan with the hospital or medical group. If your account has already gone to collections, the collection agency may also be willing to accept a payment plan.
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