Whitefish hospital expands financial assistance

In an effort to ease the financial burden for uninsured and underinsured patients, North Valley Hospital in Whitefish and its outreach clinics are offering a more liberal financial aid policy.

The new guidelines to be eligible for financial assistance are expanded from a maximum of 250 percent to 400 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

All non-elective services qualify for charity care consideration including services received at a North Valley outreach clinic. The financial assistance is based on liquid assets and gross monthly income for the household calculated as a percentage of the 2013 Federal Poverty Guidelines.

For example, a family of four with a household gross income at 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or $94,200, could be eligible for a 44 percent reduction on their medical charges. The financial aid levels were developed to be consistent with the amounts generally billed to patients with Medicare.

Two of North Valley’s outreach clinics, North Valley Professional Center in Columbia Falls and North Country Medical Clinic in Eureka, are designated Rural Health Clinics providing a sliding fee scale based on financial need.

North Valley offers assistance to all those in need whether or not they have insurance. To be eligible for this financial assistance, the individual must demonstrate that they have exhausted all other means of assistance, and they must apply for Medicaid and show a Medicaid denial. North Valley personnel can assist individuals in applying for Medicaid.

For patients who are underinsured with limited coverage or large deductibles, North Valley also offers qualifying patients a 30 percent discount on their balance after insurance has paid if the account balance is paid in full within 30 days of service.

For fiscal year 2012, NVH provided nearly $2 million in charity care and realized $3.2 million in bad debt for patients unable or unwilling to pay for services. Including contractual discounts, NVH contributed more than $22 million in uncompensated health care to the community.

For more details on the financial assistance programs and qualification guidelines at North Valley Hospital, please contact the NVH Financial Counselors at 406-863-3500. For North Valley Professional Center, contact the Office Manager at 406-892-3208; for North Country Medical Clinic contact the Office Manager at 406-297-2438.