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Help With Your Medical Bills
Commonly Asked QuestionsCommonly asked question about your LVHHN hospital bill:1) Can I see a list of all my charges?Yes. You can receive an itemized statement detailing all services and corresponding charges. Our customer service team will be happy to mail it to you.2) If I know my insurance will pay my hospital bill in full, why do I receive a summary statement?Our goal is to log the information you or your doctor provides at registration correctly the first time. To avoid errors, we want you to review the information we are billing to your insurance company, worker’s compensation or auto carrier. Maybe you have a secondary insurance that needs to be added to your account or you want to verify the information we recorded. The summary statement is another way we enhance your medical care.Remember, the summary statement is not a bill. Rather, it is mailed to you when your insurance is billed. If your insurance pays in full, you will not receive any further correspondence or bills. 3) What is a deductible? What is a co-payment?A deductible is the initial amount of “covered” health costs you pay before your insurance plan begins reimbursement. A deductible is usually a set dollar amount, such as $250 or $500. A co-payment is the portion of your health care expenses not covered by insurance. A co-payment is usually a percentage figure, like 10 or 20 percent.Here’s an example. On a $500 bill, your deductible might be $150 meaning you would have to pay the first $150. This leaves a balance of $350. Of that $350, your co-payment might be 20%, meaning you will have to pay an additional $70. Your insurance company will pay the remaining $280. Once you have this information, there are a number of ways to pay your bill:
4) When will I be billed?The hospital bills all insurances as a courtesy and attempt reasonable collection efforts from your insurance company. If your insurance company assigns you a deductible, copay or coinsurance or does not pay the bill in full, the hospital will mail you a bill. Our customer service team is available weekdays from 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. to answer your questions or concerns. You may also email us at patient.billing@lvh.com.5) If I can’t afford to pay my hospital bill, are payment plans available?Lehigh Valley Hospital understands you may be unprepared for the extra expense of paying for medical bills not covered by insurance. That’s why we encourage all our uninsured or under-insured patients to meet with a financial counselor or call our customer service representatives to obtain an application for our reduced cost of care program. All patients are eligible to complete the form and receive a discount. Depending on your household income and the number of people living in your home, discounts can range from 60 to 100 percent. When the amount of your discount is determined, the remaining balance can be paid off in affordable monthly payment.6) When I registered for care, I was told my bill would be less than this. Why are my charges more?At registration often only an estimate of your final bill is available. The estimated charge may not include all of the charges or additional services ordered. We’ll be happy to answer any of your or your insurance company’s questions about your bill. Lehigh Valley Hospital offers many ways for you to afford your hospital bill. Do not avoid treatment because you are afraid you will not be able to pay.7) What charges are included in my hospital bill?When you receive medical treatment in a hospital, you will receive bills from the hospital and from your physician(s). The hospital bill includes the charges for your room, nursing care, supplies, and the equipment used for your testing.8) My doctor admitted me to the hospital for observation care. What is it?Observation care is when you are admitted to the hospital as an outpatient. Although you may be in a bed and receiving services like an inpatient, the hospital and physicians will adhere to a set of guidelines which help determine the level of care provided and ultimately billed to your insurance company. During observation stays, patients are generally in the hospital for only one day. At Lehigh Valley Hospital, we are continually improving all the services we provide to our observation patients.This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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Important Insurance Phone NumbersThese are numbers you should call if you have questions about such things as Medicare, or Social Security.
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