Hospitals and Clinics
Charity Care Adjustment
West Virginia University Hospitals, Inc is a not-for profit teaching hospital committed to providing medically necessary, high quality healthcare services regardless of our patients ability to pay. The hospital acknowledges that there are patients who do not possess the ability to pay for medically necessary healthcare services and those individuals will be provided charity care as established by this policy. Full charity assistance will be provided to those patients where the household income (defined as income for all individuals existing in the same dwelling) is at or double the federal poverty guidelines as published annually by the Community Services Administration in the Federal Register and where there are not substantial assets. Eligibility determination is made based on completion of the following requirements.
Policy
A. Patient Eligibility
- Recipients of Medicaid (DPW, PMA, MMA, etc.) will be considered for Charity Care for non-covered days.
- Bankrupt patients may be considered for Charity Care upon receipt of bankruptcy notice. A Proof of Claim must be filed, except when the bankruptcy notice indicates that there are no assets from which any dividend can be paid.
- Patients who meet West Virginia Department of Welfare income and resource guidelines, but who are categorically eligible for Medicaid may be considered medically needy and eligible for Charity Care, provided all appropriate applications were completed.
- Patients not otherwise eligible, but who are impoverished as a result of long-term catastrophic illness, may be considered for a Charity Care Adjustment. Long-term catastrophic illness is any illness or injury that will likely require continuous or frequent treatment for more than one year, with the patient being liable for initial care up to 3 times their annual gross income.
- Charity Care will be denied to patients who refuse to take reasonable actions necessary to obtain medical assistance available through outside health and welfare agencies, when referred by the Financial Counselors.
- Patients will be required to assign or pay, to the Hospital, all insurance payments or liability settlements designated as remuneration for medical expenses. Payments received on an account with a Charity Care Adjustment will be applied to the account and the adjustment reversed up to the amount of the Charity Care Adjustment.
- In the event that a Charity Care Adjustment application is not received prior to initiation of legal action against the responsible party, the approved applicant shall be required to pay an amount equal to the expense incurred in initiating such action.
- Credit reports will be pulled when it is necessary to substantiate data on file and will be considered in the approval process.
- West Virginia University Hospitals reserved the right to amend or reverse the guidelines at any time.
Hospital Discount Policy
