Billing FAQs

Q. When will I receive my bill?

A. If you have insurance, and provided our office with a current insurance card, our first step is directly billing your insurance company. After the insurance company has reviewed the claim and made a payment to our hospital, you will receive a bill for the remaining portion, if any, that is due. This process usually takes an average of about 30 days.

If you do not have insurance, you will receive a bill for services provided within 7 working days after your hospital visit.

Q. Can I get a discount on my bill?

A. Yes. If you are able to pay your entire balance within 30 days from receiving your bill, you will receive a 10% discount. If you would like to take advantage of this, call 263-5021 and ask to speak to our financial counselors. They will provide the authorization to make sure the appropriate discount is reflected in our computer system.

Q. Do you have payment plans available?

A. Yes, we have payment plans available. Please call 263-5021 and ask to speak with our financial counselors.

Q. What’s the minimum payment I can make?

A. The minimum payment will be different for each individual. The minimum amount due is based upon the total amount of your outstanding balance. To determine this amount, please call 263-5021 and ask to speak with our financial counselors.

Q. Do you have any kind of financial assistance or charity care program?

A. Yes, we offer a financial assistance program that is most commonly known as “charity care.” Crawford County Memorial Hospital’s charity care program is a tremendous benefit for our community to ensure health care services are still accessible to our uninsured or underinsured population. The hospital budgets about $500,000 annually for this program.

Crawford County Memorial Hospital’s Charity Care program is based on a patient’s annual income. An application is necessary to request assistance through this program. To apply, or for more information, please call 263-5021 and ask to speak with our financial counselors. There is no fee to apply.

Crawford County Memorial Hospital encourages families to contact our financial counselors and find out if they qualify for financial assistance.

Q. I have Medicare and supplemental insurance, why do I still owe a balance?

A. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover oral or self-administered medications given in an outpatient setting at the hospital. An outpatient setting at Crawford County Memorial Hospital would include one of three scenarios: 1) a visit in the ER, 2) an inpatient admission under the “observation” category, or 3) a same day surgery.

Additionally, take home prescriptions given through an emergency room visit are not covered, even if you have Medicare Part D. The reason is because the hospital does not have a retail pharmacy.

Q. Why does the hospital have to take copies of my insurance cards every time I am a patient?

A. By asking for your insurance card at every visit, we are working together with you and your insurance company to ensure your claim is processed as efficiently as possible. When we verify we have the most current card and billing address on file, we can reduce potential delays during the claim process caused by records not matching.

Q. I have insurance, why didn’t you bill my insurance?

A. There are several reasons why insurance may not have been billed. These include:

• An insurance card was not presented at the time of service. This occurs most frequently during emergency room visits. The admissions clerk will bypass much of the regular paperwork proceedings to allow the patient access to emergency care as quickly as possible. However, it’s important for a family member to present that insurance information once the situation has stabilized, or before the patient has been discharged.
• We did bill insurance, but they requested additional information from the patient. In these instances, if the insurance company did not receive the additional information they requested, they will deny the claim. When that happens, you are responsible for the full amount of the hospital bill.
• The appropriate release form was not submitted. Sometimes there is something on the claim that needs special permission from the patient/parent before it can be billed to the insurance. In instances such as this, if the release was not returned to our Health Information Department, the claim could not be processed.
• The patient qualified for insurance coverage (typically Title 19) after the service was rendered. In some cases, a patient qualifies for health insurance (typically Title 19) after the service was rendered. In this case, the patient needs to contact the hospital to inform them of the insurance change.