At the core of what we do is a mission to serve the healthcare needs of all people in our community
24 hours a day, 7 days a week regardless of their ability to pay. Novant Health Prince William Medical Center provides care based on the following principles:
- Treat all patients fairly, with dignity, respect and compassion
- Serve the emergency healthcare needs of everyone
- Assist patients who cannot pay for part or all of their care
- Coordinate needed financial assistance for some patients with broader fiscal responsibilities to keep the hospital open and viable.
The following guidelines are offered to assist Prince William Medical Center patients who cannot afford the medical care they have received at our hospital.
Communication
The hospital will:
- Provide financial counseling to patients regarding the costs of their medical services. For assistance, call 703-369-8020 from 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday.
- Will respond promptly to a patient's questions about his/her bills and to requests for financial assistance.
- Use a billing process that is clear, concise, correct, and patient-friendly.
Helping Patients Qualify for Coverage
The hospital will:
- Make available information on the hospital's financial aid policies and other known programs of financial assistance.
- Assist uninsured patients who apply for financial assistance programs, such as Medicaid, through use of an outside vendor who is sensitive to cultural and language differences in our community.
Ensure Hospital Financial Aid Policies are Applied Accurately and Consistently
The hospital will ensure that all:
- Written policies for assisting patients with limited means are applied consistently.
- Staff members who work closely with patients, such as those working in patient registration, admitting, financial counseling, customer service, billing or collections, are educated about hospital billing, financial assistance and collection policies and practices.
Making Care More Affordable for Patients with Limited Means
Financial aid is available to all patients who apply and also meet the financial aid criteria. Prince William Medical Center offers the following financial assistance programs:
- PWH Financial Aid: the hospital offers a financial aid discount, based on a sliding scale, for patients whose total family income ranges from 0% to 400% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- Using the annual revision of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, as published by the Department of Health and Human Services each February, the hospital will update the sliding fee table each year.
- Persons eligible for assistance will be responsible for a portion of billed charges in accordance with the Federal Poverty Guidelines Sliding Fee Schedule.
Financial Assistance Plans
Self-pay Uninsured Discount Plan: self-pay discount—35% off gross charges. If a balance is remaining on the account, the Financial Counselor will collect a down payment and set up a payment plan for the remaining balance.Payment plans will not be effective until the initial payment is received.
Exhausted Policy Limits: patients who have exhausted insurance policy limits are eligible for the financial assistance plan offered by Prince William Medical Center. Remaining account balances after policy limits are exhausted are considered uninsured. Payment plans will not be effective until the initial payment is received.
Eligibility and Elective Services: discounts for underinsured, Health Savings Accounts, and co-pays and deductibles are not eligible. Patients who desire elective services but are uninsured or have a large insurance deductible will be referred to a Financial Counselor to discuss financial arrangements. To be considered for a discount under the financial aid policy, an uninsured person must cooperate with the hospital to provide the information and documentation necessary to determine eligibility or they may be subject to normal collection practices. All required documentation must be provided within 30 days of application for financial assistance.
Ensure Fair Billing and Collection Practices: the hospital ensures that the collections of patient accounts are pursued fairly and consistently reflect the public's high expectation of hospitals. The hospital defines the standards and scope of practices used by outside collection agencies acting on its behalf. Accounts assigned to a collection agency and later found to meet financial aid criteria may be returned to the hospital and considered as financial aid with no negative impact on the patient. Financial aid application approval is retrospectively valid for six months.
Glossary of Terms: Key Abbreviations and Terms Defined
Financial aid: financial aid discounts based on a sliding scale for patients whose income ranges are
between 0% and 400% of the current federal poverty guidelines.
Federal poverty guidelines: current federal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Government
and published in the Federal Register and updated annually by the Department of Health and Human
Services.
Financial Counselor: employees of Prince William Medical Center whose primary responsibility is to assist
the patient in understanding their financial options.
Gross charges: The amount the hospital charges for the services provided.
Hospital Financial Aid Program: Prince William Medical Center-funded financial aid program.
Medicaid: state-funded healthcare program for the residents living in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Patient responsibility: the portion of charges due from the patient once all insurance payments and adjustments have been applied.
PWH: Prince William Medical Center
Self-pay: those patients who do not have insurance.
Self-pay plan: payment arrangement requiring regular periodic payments of a predetermined amount.
Underinsured: a patient with insurance that does not cover the cost of services provided.
Uninsured: a patient with no insurance coverage.