Payment Accommodation Policy

Objective

To provide an appropriate basis and method to arrange payment plans for patients who do not qualify for reduced fees.

Policy

Where a patient is not a candidate for sliding scale fee reduction, but requires some accommodation with payment, a department may enter into an agreement with the patient to pay the department’s regular and usual fee over a period of time, rather than in one payment at the time of service.

Refer to Columbia Doctors Payment Accommodation Policy. Under certain circumstances, where there is an outstanding self-pay account balance, and after the Department has undertaken significant efforts to collect, appropriate departmental personnel may wish to offer a discount to patient to resolve and settle the outstanding balance. This should occur only rarely and not as a matter of course. Departments should not settle on a discounted basis any co-payments or deductibles owed by insured individuals.

CUIMC must be judicious in its collection efforts, and must take care to comply with applicable privacy laws.

 

 

 

 

Office for Billing Compliance
Policy#: 10037
Original Date of Issue: 1996
Revised: 3/22/2023
Reviewed: 3/1/2024