PATIENT INFORMATION GUIDE

GENERAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Patient Financial Services (PFS)

When you are admitted to the hospital for services, there is important information you need to understand about the financial responsibilities related to your stay. We hope you find this information helpful:

* Pre-Registration
* Registration
* Valuables
* Insurance
* Medicare/Medicaid
* Financial Arrangements
* Financial Assistance
* Hospital Billing
* Physician Billing
* Florida Hospital’s Online Patient Account Center

Pre-Registration

If your service is scheduled in advance, we will attempt to contact you to verify and update any incorrect data, such as address, place of employment, insurance, etc. We will also ask that you pay your co-pay/deductible and/or coinsurance at the time we pre-register you.

If you know you are coming to the hospital for service in the future and would like to pre-register, please call 407-303-0519.

Registration

Registration will consist of the following:

* If we were unable to pre-register you, we will confirm your address, telephone number, place of employment and insurance information.
* Verification that pre-certification has been obtained.
* Collection of payments not paid at time of pre-registration.
* Order any test(s) requested by your physician.
* Obtain your signature for Consent For Treatment, Authorization to bill your insurance and that you understand Florida Hospital is not responsible for any personal items.

Valuables

Neither Florida Hospital nor its employees accept responsibility for the personal belongings (property) of the patient. We ask that you leave your property with person(s) other than Florida Hospital and it’s employees. If you do choose to keep your property, you cannot hold Florida Hospital or its employees responsible while it is in your possession or during any time when it is not in your possession.

Florida Hospital assumes NO responsibility for lost or damaged valuables. Therefore, we ask that other than sufficient funds to meet your co-payment/deposit requirements, you leave all other valuables at home.

If this is an unscheduled stay, please send ALL items home immediately with a family member to ensure their safety. Florida Hospital does not reimburse for lost, stolen or damaged items.

Insurance

Your co-pay, deductible and/or co-insurance are due at time of service. Payments can be made by cash, debit cards, personal check, travelers check, Western Union phone pay, EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) or by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express).

If we do not have the exact amount due at time of service, we will require a deposit. The deposit may vary, depending on the particular type of service.

INSURANCE NON-CONTRACTED WITH FLORIDA HOSPITAL (Refer To Your Benefit Plan)

If your insurance is not contracted with Florida Hospital, your financial responsibility may be significantly higher and is due at the time of service.

If you have questions about your insurance, please call 407-303-0500 option # 4

Self-Pay

Florida Hospital, as a licensed healthcare facility in the State of Florida, gives notice, pursuant to Chapter 395.301 Florida Statutes, that it is required, prior to provision of non-emergency medical services, to give its patients written, good-faith estimates of reasonably anticipated charges for their treatment. Estimates must be provided within seven business days after receipt of written requests by the patients or their legal guardians. Patients are also entitled to notification of revisions to the estimates. Estimates may be the average charge(s) for the anticipated procedures, and actual charges may exceed the estimates. To obtain an estimate, please call 407-303-0500 option # 5 or email your request to PFS Estimates.

Financial assistance may be available to patients receiving non-elective hospital services who are not covered by any form of insurance or governmental program. Verification of income and financial information will be required. Please contact a Financial Counselor for further information at 407-303-0500 option #2 or by email PFS Financial Counselor.

Pre-Certification

If your insurance requires a precert, we will attempt to obtain all required clinical information from your physician to obtain the authorization from your insurance company. If you have any questions regarding precert, please let us know. If we are unable to obtain a precert, we may need to cancel or reschedule your service(s).

Your insurance coverage is a contract between you and your insurance company. Benefits will vary depending upon the type of insurance policy you carry.

Medicare/Medicaid

Florida Hospital is a Medicare/Medicaid provider. Medicare and Medicaid patients must present their current cards at the time of service. Medicare patients are requested to pay their deductible at the time of admission. If it not paid, supplemental is available. Medicaid patent’s eligibility will be verified.

Medicare patients should be prepared to pay their Inpatient deductible at the time of admission.

“Medicare patients, we are required by Medicare to check the diagnosis information that your ordering physician has provided with the specific test or procedure he/she has ordered when you are scheduled for Outpatient services. In some cases, Medicare will not pay for a service because they feel that the diagnosis does not support the need for the test or service requested by your physician.”

Please have your insurance card(s) and proof of identification readily available.

Financial Arrangements
Payments are required at the time of service for any amount not completely covered by your insurance. Items such as your deductible and co-payment will be considered as deposits due at the time of service. Estimated deposits are based on average charges per procedure or diagnosis.

For patients without insurance, payment of the estimated hospital bill, less the deposit made at the time of service, is due at discharge.

If you have financial difficulties and cannot make the full payment at discharge, please request to see a Financial Counselor as soon as possible. A Financial Counselor can help arrange an alternative for payment.

Payments by cash, check, VISA, American Express, MasterCard and Discover are accepted. Florida Hospital also has available an electronic funds transfer (EFT) program for those who qualify. Your Service Representative or Financial Counselor can provide you with additional information on the various payment options. If payment in full for services is not received, Florida Hospital offers a variety of payment plan options to assist our patients in settling their accounts.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance may be available to patients receiving non-elective hospital services who are not covered by any form of insurance or governmental program. Verification of income and financial information will be required. Please contact a Financial Counselor at 407-303-0500 or by email at PFS Financial Counselor for further information.  For more information about Charity Care at Florida Hospital, click here.

Hospital Billing

Your medical insurance coverage is a contract between you and your commercial insurance company. You are responsible for your hospital account. Payment may be made by cash, personal check, MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover or by electronic funds transfer (EFT).

Physician Billing

You should expect to receive a separate bill from the physician that may assist in determining results of your service(s).

Physicians are not employees or agents of Florida Hospital. They are independent, private practicing physicians and may be individually contracted with an HMO or PPO. These contracts could be different from contracts Florida Hospital holds.

Contact your insurance company to verify that both the Hospital and the physician is contracted with your Insurance Provider Network. You should expect to receive a separate bill from your physician(s) listed below, if applicable. If you have any questions regarding bills from them, please contact them directly.

• Emergency Physicians will bill you for any services you may have received in the Emergency Department.
• Radiologists will bill you for reading any X-rays that were taken while at the hospital.
• Consulting Physicians may be asked by your treating physician to review your care for any special needs. You will receive a bill from these physicians as well. If you have any questions about why they are billing you, please speak with your physician.
• Pathologists will bill you for any laboratory and pathology test(s) they have read while you were at the hospital.
• Anesthesiologists will bill you for services received during any surgical procedures you may have undergone while at the hospital.

Florida Hospital’s Online Patient Account Center

The Online Patient Account Center provides Florida Hospital’s patients with secure and convenient Internet access to their personal account information. Anyone who has been a patient at any of the Florida Hospital campuses, FPL, FH Ambulance Service or at any of the CentraCare locations may view their patient account information online. Services include payments, viewing account list, updating guarantor and patient information and answering patient questions.

If you are interested in accessing this service, please go to https://billpay.floridahospital.org/.