Patient Financial Support

At Mission Health, we understand the healthcare insurance and billing process can be confusing and stressful for patients.

We have developed several programs and resources to provide as much information and assistance as possible with respect to the insurance and billing process, and we do our best to make patients aware of this assistance. These programs and resources are provided through our hospitals and include pricing information, financial counseling, a number of generous financial assistance programs for uninsured and under-insured patients and patient-friendly billing practices, all of which are designed to provide help and resources when people may need them most.

While we believe we have one of the most robust financial assistance offerings in the industry, we can only act when we are aware, and thus encourage our patients to seek assistance as soon as issues or questions arise.

The overview of services and offerings below are specific to our hospitals; however, our employed physicians have similar or complementary policies. Please contact your physician’s office to learn more about the financial assistance policies offered.

Patient Discounts and Protection

Covering both uninsured and under-insured patients, Mission Health applies a sliding scale discount on patient amounts due based on federal poverty guidelines (FPG) and household income. The individual policies include:

Charity Care Policy

The Charity Care Policy provides a 100% write-off related to emergent, non-elective services for qualifying patients who are not eligible for state or federal assistance. Generally, patients with annual household incomes of less than 200% of FPG qualify for this program. Supporting documentation may be required to ensure proper qualification.

Expanded Charity Care Policy

The Expanded Charity Care Policy provides financial relief for emergent, non-elective services to families with annual household incomes between 200% and 400% of FPG. Under the Expanded Charity Policy, we cap patients’ out-of-pocket balances at 3%-4% of their annual income using a sliding scale. For example, a family of four with a household income of $100,000 would have their liability capped at $4,000. (We make both of these charity care policies available to all patients, regardless of their insurance coverage.)

Click here to view the full charity care policy. 

Our patient benefit advisors and financial counselors are available to assist our patients with identifying potential financial assistance in connection with your patient account upon receiving care at our hospitals. You may be provided, and can also request a financial assistance application at any time. Financial assistance applications are submitted following receipt of healthcare services and are specific to an account or date of service.

Click here to view a sample financial assistance application.

After submission of a financial assistance application and the required supporting documentation, please allow 21 days for review and processing. You will receive a determination letter in the mail regarding your eligibility for assistance. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like assistance completing an application, please contact us at: 844-974-3800. 

Income Verification

For Medicare beneficiaries, in addition to thorough completion of the Financial Assistance Application, the preferred income documentation will be the most current year's federal tax return. Any patient/responsible party unable to provide his/her most recent federal tax return may provide two pieces of supporting documentation from the following list:

  • State income tax return for the most current year
  • Most recent employer pay stubs
  • Written documentation from income sources
  • Copy of all bank statements for the last three months
  • Current credit report

For non-Medicare patients, supporting income verification documentation may NOT be required. For these accounts, the thorough completion of the Financial Assistance Application may be acceptable for determining Charity Discount application.

Uninsured Discount Policy

This policy offers patients with no insurance, or exhausted insurance benefits, a discount, which averages 83.09% of the patient’s total bill.

At the time of service, patients may be asked to make payment in full or establish monthly payment arrangements on the patient liability amount.

Patient Liability Protection (PLP)

The PLP program provides protection for patients with household incomes between 400% and 1,000% of FPG. The discounts under this program help patients who may find themselves with limited coverage, a high deductible or who may be out of network. Similar to the policies above, these discounts are need-based and calculated on a sliding scale based on the patient’s annual household income. The PLP further limits patient balances and may be combined with the charity or uninsured discount.

Rural Health Center (RHC) Finances

At our Mission Health Rural Health Centers, no one will be denied access to care due to an inability to pay.  There is a discounted/sliding fee schedule available based on family size and income. Please see the following practices fit into an RHC category below:

  • Mission Health Center – McDowell
    • Mission My Care Now McDowell
    • Mission Surgery McDowell
    • Asheville Cardiology Associates – Marion
    • Mission Women’s Care McDowell
  • Mission Community Medicine – Sugar Hill
    • Asheville Orthopedic Associates - Marion
    • Mission Health Center Sugar Hill
  • Mission Health Center Franklin
    • Angel Primary Care
    • General Surgery Franklin
    • Angel Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
    • Mission My Care Now- Franklin
  • Mission Health Mauzy - Phillips Center
    • Mission Community Medicine Spruce Pine
    • Mission My Care Now Spruce Pine
    • Mission Women’s Care Spruce Pine
    • Mission Community Surgery Spruce Pine
    • Mission Community Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Blue Ridge
  • Mission Community Primary Care-Haywood
  • Mission Community Medicine – Nebo
  • Mission Health Center - Highway 70
  • Blue Ridge Medical Center - Yancey Campus

Prompt Pay Discount & Interest-Free Payment Plans

Mission Health is committed to responsible billing and collections. Our financial counselors work with patients to establish interest-free payment arrangements. Patients who make payments at the time of service for their estimated financial liability receive a 20% discount of the amount owed. These policies and resources reflect our desire to mitigate personal financial issues arising from our patients’ medical bills. But we can only act when we are aware, and thus encourage our patients to take responsibility for seeking assistance as soon as issues or questions arise.

 

Medicaid Eligibility Assistance Program

Mission Health’s trained staff is available to assist patients in applying for both federal and state healthcare coverage programs. Our benefit advisors offer screening and eligibility evaluation on-site at the facility, at one of our offices, or in a patient’s home, and will provide support throughout the application process.  When eligibility is secured, this becomes a benefit to our patients not only for their current healthcare service, but also provides coverage in the future.

For more information, including Medicaid eligibility and how to obtain a financial assistance application, please contact:

Phone: 828-213-1500 
Toll Free: 800-848-8732 

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