Patient Billing Information

Missouri Delta Medical Center is dedicated to providing quality, accessible healthcare to everyone.  Our policy is to provide services without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age and handicap.  Missouri Delta will provide uncompensated services for those patients who have emergency conditions and/or can demonstrate that they do not have adequate financial resources to pay for the care.

Federal and state laws require all hospitals to seek payment for care provided.  This means unpaid bills can ultimately be turned over to a collection agency, which can affect credit status.  Therefore, it is important to contact Patient Accounts if you think you may experience a problem with paying your bill.  We treat all questions and personal information with confidentiality and courtesy.

Financial Assistance

If you do not have insurance, you may qualify for discounted medical services.  You must fill out an application to get these discounts.  We will need:

  • Last year’s tax returns
  • Bank statements from all your accounts
  • Total earnings from all family members living in the household

Payment Options

The following payment options apply to the charges on your hospital bill.  For any physician bills, please contact the physician’s office regarding payment options.

  • Credit Cards:  Visa, MasterCard, Discover
  • Financial Assistance for qualifying patients
  • Payment plan:  Missouri Delta offers a payment plan that can be established prior to service, at the time of your service, or after receiving service.  Please discuss payment options during your admission process, or contact Patient Accounts for assistance after services have been rendered to establish your payment plan.
  • Self-Pay: Patients having no insurance are required to contact Patient Accounts prior to leaving the Hospital or before any routine outpatient services are performed.  You may qualify for discounted medical services.

Provider Based Billing

Beginning September 1, 2014, Missouri Delta Medical Center and Missouri Delta Physician Services will be instituting “Provider Based Billing”.

What is “Provider Based Billing”?

Provider Based Billing refers to the billing process for services rendered in a hospital department such as a physician office owned and operated by Missouri Delta Medical Center. This process takes place when the hospital owns space and employs physicians and other support personnel who are involved in patient care.  Medicare and Medicaid have designated specific rules and requirements for Provider Based Billing which we follow.

Will the registration process be any different?

Medicare and Medicaid patients will complete the necessary documents during the normal registration process.  This process will include the completion of a General Consent form. For Medicare patients, a Medicare Secondary Payer Questionnaire form will be completed and you will also receive an estimate of the out-of-pocket expenses for your office visit.

How does this affect the billing process?

Because care is provided in a location that is considered a department of the hospital, there is a difference in how the Medicare and Medicaid patient is billed. If you are a Medicare or Medicaid patient your bill will now be separated and you will receive a bill for the professional services and facility charges rendered by your provider at this location. You will receive a separate bill from the Hospital for all other charges related to your visit such as lab and/or x-ray. Although this will not have much effect on the total combined charge for services, Medicare beneficiaries are responsible for the co-insurance amount on each bill. These co-insurance amounts are determined by Medicare and are based on the services performed.  Some Medicare patients will be covered by their supplemental insurance and will not have to pay more out-of-pocket costs but Medicare patients without supplemental insurance will have to pay additional out-of-pocket costs related to the new Provider Based Billing structure.

Is this billing process new for Missouri Delta Medical Center?

No, this is simply an expansion of the billing model already in use for hospital-based services. For hospital-based services like Emergency Department, Therapy Services, Laboratory, andOperating Room procedures, Missouri Delta Medical Center has always billed separately for physician services and facility (technical) fees – one bill from the hospital and separate bill from the physician. As we convert physician office locations to hospital-based departments under Provider-Based status, the billing methods currently used for all other hospital-based services will expand to these outpatient services. Depending on each patient’s specific insurance benefits, deductible, co-insurance and co-payments may be applied for provider- based services.

What if I am confused about the bills I receive in the mail?

If you have any questions about your bills, call our Customer Service for clarification of how this might impact you directly at (573) 472–7657 or (573) 472-6059 (8:00am – 4:30pm)

Will there be a change in how patients receive care?

No. Patients will continue to receive excellent quality care with their physician and scheduling appointments and tests will be handled as they always have been in the past. However, there is a change in how Missouri Delta Medical Center will bill your insurance carrier for these services.

Does this mean patients will pay more for services?

Some patients may be covered by their supplemental insurance and will not have to pay more out-of-pocket; Medicare patients without supplemental insurance may have to pay a small amount. Depending on specific insurance benefits, additional out-of-pocket expenses may be incurred by Provider Based Billing. Depending on their particular insurance coverage, it is possible benefits may differ for certain outpatient services and procedures at provider-based/hospital outpatient locations. Depending on each patient’s specific insurance benefits, deductible, co-insurance and co-payments may be applied for provider-based services.

What can patients do if they are having difficulty paying for healthcare services?

Missouri Delta Medical Center offers discounting and charity policies to help qualified patients.  Further details are available by calling the hospital billing office at (573) 472 – 7657 or (573) 472-6059 (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).

Patient Friendly Billing and Price Transparency

Missouri Delta Medical Center and PatientMatters, LLC have joined forces to meet the current healthcare trend known as “Patient Friendly Billing and Price Transparency.”  Patients want to know how much a procedure/service it is going to cost them before having it done….just as they would when buying any other product or service.

On Monday, January 23, 2017 a new program called “Pre-Access” will begin at Missouri Delta Medical Center.  Patients will be contacted by the admissions department regarding their scheduled service/procedure. This call is to gather information to pre-register patients prior to their arrival and thus eliminate the need to stop at the admissions desk for registration. The patient will then be able to proceed directly to the department within Missouri Delta Medical Center to have their services performed.

In addition, by contacting the patient ahead of time, any financial responsibility can be taken care of and if a patient would need financial assistance, an appointment with a financial counselor can be scheduled.  Missouri Delta Medical Center’s reasons for doing this are to decrease the amount of wait time that a patient spends at the hospital, ensure the patient has a clear expectation of what the cost of the services are and to have the patients make well informed decisions regarding their fiscal responsibilities.

If you would like to receive an estimate on cost of a procedure/service your physician has prescribed, call (573) 472-7171. All we need from you is your insurance information and the 5 digit code of the procedure from your doctor.

Questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact a Patient Accounts Representative at 573.472.7651