Our Collections Policies

• Basic Premise: Healthcare providers (including hospitals) are legally entitled to be compensated for the reasonable value of their services. And, the Hospital has a duty to others who pay for services to pursue payment from all potential insurance sources.
• Value is typically calculated as the provider’s usual and customary charges. Value will be less for patients who apply and are eligible for the Hospital’s uncompensated /charity care policy.
• LVH has an accessible and generous uncompensated/charity care policy. The Hospital’s uncompensated/charity care policy is consistently applied to the great benefit of many of the Hospital’s patients.
• There are a variety of circumstances, though, where LVH finds it necessary to submit patient accounts to the legal process. Notably, such circumstances include:
  • Patient’s failure to process applications for available insurance benefits. [LVH does not have a contract with every health care plan throughout the nation. In these cases, the patient or their representative have the responsibility to make sure available insurance benefits are made available to providers. To do so also benefits the patient]
  • Employer’s failure to maintain health and/or workers’ compensation insurance.
  • Existence of a tort claim where the patient is seeking to recover damages (including medical bills) as a result of injuries for which LVH rendered care.
  • Patient’s receipt of insurance benefits without remitting them to the Hospital.
• These circumstances often result in a cooperative effort between LVH and its patients (and their attorneys) to ensure that those responsible (e.g., insurers, employers, tortfeasors) ultimately make payment on account of the Hospital’s bills.
• Only a small fraction of patient accounts ever result in litigation.
• Lehigh Valley Hospital has never sold anyone’s property, nor has it ever garnished anyone’s wages in the collection of its bills.
• The goal of the Hospital’s collection practice is to work cooperatively with patients, their attorneys, insurers, employers and others who may be responsible in order to compensate the Hospital for the services it provides to its patients.

ARTICLE TOOLS: