CRHS Financial Assistance and Standard Charges
At Columbus Regional Healthcare System, we are committed to providing quality health care to all who seek our services. We realize that health care is costly and may be a financial hardship to patients and their families.
Eligibility for Medicaid or other Government Assistance
Columbus Regional Healthcare System provides counselors who can assist you with determining Medicaid eligibility and applying for other government-assisted programs. Our counselors are available upon request throughout or following the time you receive care.
Eligibility for Charity Care
Columbus Regional Healthcare System offers charity care to our patients who are unable to pay due to financial hardships. We may require supporting documents including tax returns, pay stubs, Social Security award letter and other financial information. Patients will qualify for 100% assistance based on the following key criteria:
- Income up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines based on family size
- The services received are not cosmetic or other elective procedures
Catastrophic Assistance
Patients who do not qualify for Charity Care and have incurred catastrophic medical care bills with qualified balances and income over 200% of the federal poverty guideline are eligible for a catastrophic discount.
Pricing Information
Shoppable Services
Columbus Regional Healthcare System is committed to empowering patients, in partnership with their care team, to make informed decisions about their healthcare. This includes helping patients understand the cost of their care, as well as financial assistance that may be available. We’re pleased to offer patients a tool to estimate their out-of-pocket hospital costs for common medical procedures and tests. This online tool calculates the estimated out-of-pocket hospital costs based on the selected procedure and a patient’s insurance information. The tool can also be utilized to estimate hospital costs for patients that do not have insurance coverage. Columbus Regional has elected to utilize CMS’ alternative pathway to offer an internet-based price estimator tool as described in 45 CFR § 180.60(a)(2).
We’re committed to helping our patients understand the financial obligations associated with their care. It’s important to understand the tool is not a guarantee of costs and is only an estimate. Please review the disclaimers in detail before using the tool.
We understand that healthcare costs can be very confusing, and we want to ensure patients understand potential costs as clearly as possible. For more specific cost estimates, patients may call 910-642-1753 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time to speak with a Patient Financial Services Representative.
Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills
Standard Charges
Columbus Regional Healthcare System provides a list of standard charges in a CMS- specified template in machine-readable format. The public may view the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Pricing Transparency requirements at the following CMS webpage: cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency. The charge list posted on this website is accurate, with applicable disclaimers, as of the date indicated within the file. CMS requires hospitals to update annually. Therefore, ongoing additions and changes made after the date below will not be reflected in the posted files until the next update.
The list charge of a hospital service is not equivalent to the actual amount paid by governmental or commercial insurance companies; accordingly, each patient’s financial responsibility may vary. The amount a patient pays is based on many factors, including health insurance, benefit plans and other applicable discounts, as well as the services provided based on each patient’s unique needs.
CRHS reviews its hospital charges annually to ensure they accurately reflect the high-quality care we seek to provide. In some cases, our charges are different from other providers when we offer a differing level of care or unique clinical expertise. We work with patients, providers and partners to lower the cost of care through wellness programs, disease management and quality care.
Disclaimer
The comprehensive, machine-readable file below is posted to comply with federal regulations and is published in CMS’ required standard template format. Due to the nature of the file, it will likely be of limited utility to any specific patient and not intended for consumer or patient use.
The Discounted Cash Price reflected in our machine-readable file is synonymous with the terminology “Uninsured Discount”. Uninsured patients will receive a 30% discount off gross charges on all medically necessary hospital services. The uninsured discount is applied automatically, and no action is needed by the patient to receive this discount. This program is available to all uninsured patients. The Discounted Cash Price is NOT available to governmentally covered or commercially insured patients.
For a patient to best understand their estimated out-of-pocket costs, it’s important to understand their insurance plan benefits and coverage before seeking medical care. Any amount not covered by the plan becomes the financial responsibility of the patient or their guarantor (such as a parent of a minor child).
We provide a self-service Price Estimation Tool which can help patients and consumers obtain cost estimates for many common hospital services CRHS provides. For more specific cost estimates, patients may call 910-642-1753 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time to speak with a Patient Financial Services Representative.
For the most accurate estimate, please consult with your physician to obtain the procedure codes that will be related to your treatment. This information will allow Columbus Regional to provide you with a service-specific hospital price estimate based on your individual circumstances and patient responsibility. Payer and data inquiries should be directed to kgore@crhealthcare.org.
Contact Us
For more information regarding financial assistance or for a complete copy of the CRHS Charity Care Policy, please contact us at 910-642-1744.
To contact our customer service representative please call (910) 642-1744.