Billing, Payment and Collections
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- 10 Percent Self-Pay Discount
- Flexible Payment Arrangements
- Secured Loan Option
- Community Care Program
Tri-County Memorial Hospital is committed to working with you to secure payment from whatever resources are available. However, you are ultimately responsible to assure these bills are paid, whether by insurance or out of pocket. As you receive care at Tri-County Memorial, you will be required to sign a Consent for Treatment and Responsibility for Payment form. This form indicates that you understand your account is your personal responsibility.
Tri-County Memorial is a participating provider for Medicare, Medical Assistance, and nearly all managed-care plans that serve this area. If you are enrolled in Medicare, Medical Assistance or another insurance plan you must provide Tri-County Memorial with all information necessary for billing those payers at the time of service. If that is not possible, you must within 10 days of the date of service or discharge.
We strongly recommended you carry your current enrollment cards with you at all times, and that you become familiar with any restrictions on your coverage. It is becoming more common for plans to require pre-authorization or to limit benefits for certain services and you will want to be aware of these restrictions.
As a courtesy to you, Tri-County Memorial will promptly file a claim to Medicare, Medical Assistance or your insurance company, and will wait for a reasonable period of time to obtain reimbursement from those payers before requiring payment from you. Tri-County Memorial also will file claims to any Medicare supplemental plans.
After insurance has paid, the balance becomes your responsibility. Insurance companies may contact you for further information about your visit or admission. Please respond to them promptly in order to make sure you receive the benefit to which you are entitled.
If you have any questions about the benefits payable under your insurance plan, please contact your insurance carrier or call Tri-County Memorial’s Business Office for assistance. If you do not provide Tri-County Memorial with your insurance information in a timely manner, or if you fail to provide your insurance company with the information that they need in order to process the claim, you will be responsible for all unpaid charges.
If you have no insurance, you will be offered a 10% Self Pay Discount, which is the average discount offered by Tri-County Memorial to insurance companies.
Tri-County Memorial will send monthly statements to you during this process, and those statements will indicate what is due from you when this becomes known. Generally, payment is due in full within 30 days after you are first notified of the amount you are responsible to pay.
Your account will be considered delinquent if -- by 120 days after your date of service -- an unpaid balance remains on your account or if you have not contacted Tri-County Memorial to discuss Flexible Payment Arrangements or to apply for Community Care.
Your account will be referred to an outside collection agency once it reaches delinquent status. It is in your best interest, and in the best interest of Tri-County Memorial, to negotiate payment arrangements directly with the Tri-County Memorial rather than to allow your account to go to collections.
Flexible payment arrangements will be granted upon request to those unable to pay the full balance due within the required 30 days. The payment period depends upon the amount due. If you request such an arrangement, you will be asked to enter into an agreement with Tri-County Memorial to commit to the terms of the flexible payment arrangement.
If you default on the agreement your account will become immediately due and payable.
Balance due: $50 to $499
- Minimum monthly payment required - $50.
Balance due $500 to $1,999
- Minimum monthly payment required is 10% of your original responsibility.
Balance due: $2,000 or more
- Minimum monthly payment required is 5% of your original responsibility.
- You will be asked to complete a Community Care application to see if any portion of the bill may be discounted based on your ability to pay.
- You also will be encouraged to take advantage of the Secured Loan Option if a longer payment period would better meet your needs.
The Secured Loan Option is offered through an arrangement with a local bank. The bank has agreed to provide financing at a reasonable rate for medical bills owed to Tri-County Memorial. Tri-County Memorial has agreed to back these loans, which gives the bank the ability to extend credit more freely.
The agreement allows you to negotiate longer payback periods: loan amounts from $500 to $2,000 can be negotiated up to 30 months. Loan amounts from $2,000 to $7,000 up to 48 months. The interest rate is 9%.
Payroll deduction can be set up to make it easier to pay, and since it is likely that you receive a paycheck more often than once a month the accelerated repayment will lower your interest cost and take care of the balance more quickly.
If you default on the loan, the loan will be returned to Tri-County Memorial and your account will be referred to the collection agency. Unpaid interest charges will be applied back to the account.
As a non-profit community organization, Tri-County Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home stands ready to provide service to all who in need of care regardless of ability to pay.
We established our Community Care Program to provide financial assistance to patients or families meeting certain income guidelines. The program applies a sliding-scale discount to outstanding balances depending on your ability to pay.
We use a confidential application process to make sure the assistance is provided to those needing it most. If you have a balance owing of $2,000 or more, you are encouraged to take the time to apply, as the program is likely to be of benefit to you.
If you would like to take advantage of flexible payment arrangements, or if you wish to apply for some relief through the community care discount program, please call Tri-County Memorial at 715-538-4361 and ask to speak to our Benefits Specialist.