Understanding Your Bill
Who might send you a bill?
The hospital bill and the physician bill will be sent to you separately. Since your care requires the services of one or more physicians and also the hospital itself, you may receive multiple bills for your hospitalization.
The hospital bill will show facility charges which may include, but will not be limited to, charges for room and board, operating room, anesthesia, supplies, laboratory tests, radiology exams, and drugs. An itemized bill for all facility charges is always available from the hospital upon request.
Physician billing is done by each physician involved in your care. For example, if you had surgery, you may receive a bill from the anesthesiologist for his/her time, the surgeon who operated, the pathologist for specimen exam, or from the radiologist for reading any x-rays taken. If you are seen in the emergency department you would receive a bill from the emergency room physician.
Insurance and Filing Claims
Please be sure that you understand the type of health insurance policy you have and the coverage it provides. You should also take care of any requirements your carrier has regarding precertification, authorizations or second opinions. Failure to meet these requirements may result in a claim denial or higher co-payment.
As a courtesy, we will handle billing paperwork and file claims to your insurance carrier for you. Once your insurance carrier has paid their portion, you will receive a statement from the hospital indicating your balance due. Ultimately, you are responsible for any charges not paid by your insurance carrier.
If you do not have insurance, payment in full is required within 15 days from receipt of bill. If you cannot meet this schedule, one of our Customer Service Representatives will be happy to help arrange a convenient payment plan. We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover.
Co-payment / Co-insurance / Deductibles
It is the policy of Bert Fish Medical Center to collect any co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles, or standard deposits from the patient (or responsible party) at the time services are delivered. In the absence of a valid, current insurance identification card that states otherwise, the patient (or responsible party) will be expected to pay minimum deposit amounts based on their expected level of services. If the patient provides documentation from their insurance company stating that their benefits allow for a reduced deposit amount as his/her responsibility, that amount will be collected in lieu of the standard deposit shown