Understanding Your Hospital Bill
Paying for Hospital Services
A Patient's Guide to Understanding the Hospital's Billing Practices
Liberty Regional Medical Center is pleased to provide this information to help you understand our patient billing practices. We take a positive and proactive approach to patient billing and collections, with the goal of receiving payment for services provided in the most efficient, timely and customer sensitive manner possible. We also understand that billing and collections for healthcare services can be confusing. To better assist you in understanding these billing services and to answer any questions you may have in advance, we are providing you with this information.
When Entering the Hospital
If your hospital visit is planned and you are pre-registered, we will verify insurance coverage and ask your insurance company what deductibles and co-insurance amounts will be due.
As a routine practice, the hospital asks for payment of any deductibles and an estimated co-insurance deposit prior to delivery of services at pre-registration or at the time of registration in the hospital.
If you do not have any insurance coverage, you can discuss payment arrangements and/or the hospital's Indigent Care Trust Fund policy with the Financial Counselor.
After Leaving the Hospital
The hospital will bill your health insurance plan for you. This usually happens within a week of discharge from the hospital.
Your health insurance plan will send you an Explanation of Benefits summarizing their payment.
The hospital will bill your secondary insurance, if you have one, or send you a statement for any amounts still due from you.
Billing statements show account balances and payments only. You can request an itemization of charges by calling Patient Financial Services at 912-369-9404.
When You Receive a Bill
Payment is due within 30 days from the statement date.
You may pay by check, money order, or Credit card.
Payments can also be made online at Libertyregional.org "Online Bill Pay".
ACH - Automatic account debit which will withdraw an agreed upon payment amount from your account. Please contact the Billing Office at 912-369-9400 Option #1.
If it is not possible to pay your bill in full, you may contact business office at 912-369-9400 Option #1 to make payment arrangements.
How You Can Help
Please provide us with complete health insurance plan information upon registration.
Make timely payment on your portion of the bill.
Let us know if you anticipate or are having problems paying your bill.
Be prompt and provide us with all requested information if applying for Indigent/Charity care.
If your insurance should contact you and request additional information from you, please make sure to provide it to them in order for your claim to be processed and paid.
Medicare Recipients
Medicare does not cover some outpatient services for certain complaints or illnesses.
If Medicare does not cover the services your physician ordered, you may be asked to sign a Medicare Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) to signify that you have been informed of your payment responsibility.
If you are an outpatient, Medicare considers some medications as "self-administered." These are not paid for by Medicare or by most supplemental insurance carriers. Therefore, Medicare requires that the hospital bill the patient for these medications.
Physician Billing
Physicians are independent contractors and are not employed by the hospital. Liberty Regional Medical Center bills do not include fees for any physician services.
Physicians that may bill you separately include:
Personal Physicians
Surgeons
Pathologists
Emergency Department Physicians
Specialists (such as Cardiologists, Pulmonologists, etc.)
Anesthesiologists
Radiologists
