Patient admission

Financial arrangements and billing

Verifying health insurance coverage
A patient account representative from the hospital's Admitting Office will contact you before your medical procedure. You will be asked to provide insurance information such as the name of your insurance company, the billing address and telephone number(s), current subscriber name, certificate and/or policy number and effective date of plan. It is very important that you provide accurate information so that insurance coverage can be verified prior to your admission. Most of this information can be found on your insurance I.D. card. Please remember to bring your card with you when you come to the hospital.

Self-pays and co-pays
It is Yale-New Haven Hospital's policy to collect any estimated self-pay balances or co-pays upon admission. Your patient account representative will let you know how much you will be expected to pre-pay. Please call Admitting if you have any questions. The hospital accepts cash, check or credit card. If you are unable to make an estimated payment, you will need to make other arrangements with your patient account representative or financial representative. They can advise you of available options including Financial Assistance Programs and assist you in this process.

Patients without insurance
If you don't have medical insurance, your patient account representative will help you calculate an estimated payment. The estimated payment is due upon admission. Because the payment is estimated, you may receive a credit or further charges after your hospital stay. If you are unable to make an estimated payment, you will need to make other arrangements with your patient account representative or financial representative. They can advise you of available options including Financial Assistance Programs and assist you in this process.

Managed care insurance pre-certification
If you belong to a managed care plan, you may need a second surgical opinion, prior approval or pre-certification before you are admitted to the hospital. In some cases, managed care plans will not pay for hospital costs if patients do not pre-certify before coming to the hospital. Please check with your managed care company to see what is required. Make sure you keep a record of the date, time and person you spoke with at your managed care company.

Your hospital bill
During your visit to the hospital, you may experience a variety of tests, procedures and services. Many of these services are performed by health care providers who work in the hospital, but bill for their services separately. After your visit, you can expect to receive bills from several different health care providers, including:

• Yale-New Haven Hospital
• Yale Medical Group
• Yale Diagnostic Radiology
• Your physician

If you receive something that looks like a bill, but the word "statement" appears on it, this is not a bill and you do not have to send payment. Statements are sent to let you know that your hospital charges have been forwarded to your insurance company for review and reimbursement.

If you have questions about your bill
If you have questions about your Yale-New Haven Hospital bill, or feel that it is incorrect, call (203) 688-2030, Mon. - Fri., 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Please have the patient's name, account number listed on the bill or the patient's social security number ready when you call. Or E-mail your questions to patientinquiries@ynhh.org.

If you have questions about any of the other bills listed above, please call the number listed on those bills.

Requesting a Yale-New Haven Hospital bill
To obtain a copy of your Yale-New Haven Hospital bill, please call (203) 688-2030. Make sure to have patient name, date of service, account number and/or medical record number available (check to see where this information is located on a sample bill). Or you may E-mail your request for a copy of your bill.

Financial Assistance Programs
Yale-New Haven Hospital provides some services free or at a reduced charge to uninsured or underinsured individuals who cannot afford to pay for medical care. Patients whose income does not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level will be considered eligible for free care. Patients whose income does not exceed 400 percent of the federal poverty level and do not have insurance will be considered eligible for a Sliding Scale discount. Sliding Scale income exceptions may apply for patients with hospital bills that exceed 10 percent of their annual income. Please speak with your patient account representative to see if you are eligible for financial assistance or call (203) 688-2030 to request an application.

Next: Your Yale-New Haven Hospital bill

Last revised: Aug. 22, 2008 (dh)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.