Tenet Facilities will provide Uninsured Patients with financial counseling, assistance with applying for state and federal health care programs (Medicare and Medicaid), coverage under Affordable Care Act, other financial assistance and charity care where allowed by state law. To ensure uninsured patients are aware of the availability of financial assistance and counseling, Tenet Facilities will post notices about financial assistance and counseling in public areas of the facility.
- Patient Status
- Patient status pending verification of income self-pay patient
- Presumptive Charity
- Situations that are automatic and approved for assistance without income documentation
- Medicaid accounts-Exhausted Days/Benefits
- Medicaid spend down accounts
- Medicaid or Medicare Dental denials
- Medicare Replacement accounts with Medicaid as secondary-where Medicare Replacement plan left patient with responsibility
- Approval Process
- Charity Care discounts are approved either in writing or electronically
- Eligibility requirements may not be changed without prior approval by Director of Patient Financial Services and Tenet VP Operations Finance
- Approval of Financial Assistance
- Applies to balances eligible for financial assistance twelve months prior to approval
- Also applies to additional services provided within six months after approval
- Approval of Charity Care Discounts
- 100% discount of gross charges less copayment or amount previously paid by patient or third party
- Denial of Financial Assistance
- Facility must notify patient of this decision in writing
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- Liens on Primary Residences
- Tenet will not place or foreclose liens on primary residences as a means of collecting unpaid hospital bills
- Interest Free, Extended Payment Plans
- Tenet will offer extended payment plans to assist in settling past due facility bills
- Tenet will not charge any interest under such extended payment plans
- Body Attachments
- Tenet will not use body attachment to require Uninsured Patients to appear in court
- Revenue Classification
- Conifer maintains the account classification on the facility patient accounting system
- Each Revenue Reclass is approved prior to month-end by the DRA
- Non-Covered Services
- Tenet reserves the right for certain services to be out of scope for financial assistance
- No Effect on Other Tenet Policies
- This policy does not change any efforts to obtain payments based on other Tenet policies