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Patient-Friendly Strategies
Reexamining Charity Care Policies
Many hospitals are revisiting their charity care policies, and some are realizing they need to be more generous in light of current economic conditions.
- Case Study: Loma Linda University Medical Center spent more than $1 million in start-up costs to introduce a more generous financial assistance policy.
- Case Study: Rush University Medical Center has seen its charity care increase after launching 50 percent to 70 percent discounts for self-pay patients. However, the academic medical center has also seen a decrease in bad debt levels.
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Simplified Solutions from Emdeon
Four Simple Steps to Reducing Return Mail
The hard cost of returned patient bills or statements is estimated to be about $3.00 per piece. And that doesn’t include the many hidden costs, such as increased billing inquiry calls. Providers may be able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars by addressing their return mail problem.
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Q&A
Use of High-Deductible Plans Continues to Climb
Paul Fronstin, director of EBRI’s health research and education program, says the high-deductible movement is here to stay.
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Tools of the Trade
Ralph Lauren Center Provides Navigators for Patients
A number of hospitals have begun using patient navigators—specially trained advocates who understand the ins and outs of the healthcare system—to help patients who are daunted by the complexity of obtaining and paying for medical care.
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Financial Statistics
Uncompensated Care Expenditures
Percentage of Hospitals with Uncompensated Care Expenditures
Uncompensated Care as a Percentage of Total Revenues