Financial Assistance | Hackensack Meridian Health   

Financial Assistance | Hackensack Meridian Health

At Hackensack Meridian Health we understand how overwhelming it can be to deal, not only with health issues, but billing issues.  We have a dedicated Financial Assistance team located at each of our Hospitals to assist you in determining if you are qualified for any financial assistance. For the uninsured, we can review your situation and determine if you qualify for NJ Family Care, Get Covered NJ (the State of NJ Health Insurance Marketplace) or Charity Care.  If you qualify for one of these programs, we can assist you in the application process.  If you do not qualify for any of those programs, we review your situation to see if you qualify for any of the HMH Compassionate Care programs.

For more detailed information on the HMH Financial Assistance policy as well as how to apply, please read our Plain Language Financial Assistance policy.

For questions regarding Financial Assistance, please call:

Hospital Phone
Bayshore Medical Center 732-902-7080
Hackensack University Medical Center 551-996-4343
Jersey Shore University Medical Center 732-902-7080
JFK Medical Center 732-321-7534
JRI at Ocean University Medical Center 732- 902-7080
Ocean University Medical Center 732-902-7080
Old Bridge Medical Center 732-902-7080
Palisades Medical Center 201-854-5092
Raritan Bay Medical Center 732-902-7080
Riverview Medical Center 732-902-7080
Southern Ocean Medical Center 732-902-7080

Pricing Inquiries

For your convenience, a pricing specialist is available to help you understand what your potential out-of-pocket costs will be for services. Call 551-996 2099 or 551-996-2808 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m..

If you would like to make a payment over the phone using our automated phone system, please call 1-732-776-4380. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have any questions, please contact us Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at one of our Billing & Insurance numbers.

Please Note: Payments made after 3 p.m. will not be processed until the next business day. This transaction will appear on your bank statement with Company Entry Description “EPAY HOSP”.

Separate Billing

Under federal law, certain services cannot be included in your hospital bill. Therefore, you will receive separate physician bills for each service rendered by the following:

  • Anesthesiology
  • Cardiology
  • EEG
  • EKG
  • Emergency Physicians
  • House Staff
  • Psychiatry
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Pathology
  • Pulmonary Function Department
  • Radiology (films and interpretations)
  • Surgical Assistants
  • Speech Therapy

These physician fees are for professional services rendered and/or interpretation of studies performed, and any questions regarding them should be addressed directly to those physician offices. In addition, if a house staff physician treats you for a situation that arises when your own physician is not available, you will be billed directly by that physician. The charges will not appear on your hospital bill. You should submit any such bills to your insurance provider or make arrangements for payment directly with your physician.

To Our Surgical Patients

In major surgical cases, it is mandatory to have a second qualified surgeon or surgeons available to assist the attending surgeon. Its purpose is to ensure the quality and safety of complex procedures. Traditionally, the cost of an assisting surgeon or surgeons was included in your hospital bill. Today, however, the Federal Tax Equity and Responsibility Act (TEFRA) does not allow such an inclusion, so you will receive a separate bill from the assisting surgeon or surgeons and are expected to pay for the services rendered by them.

Insurance companies are familiar with this practice and should include the assisting surgeon or surgeons for payment, if it is an included benefit. These bills should be forwarded to your insurance provider.

Insurance Limitations

Under Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party regulations, only certain levels of care may be covered at our hospitals. Insurance benefits may be discontinued if your physician or Health Care Quality Strategies, Inc. (HQSI), decides that further care is not medically necessary. You may be held personally responsible for any non-covered services.

Hospital-Based Outpatient Coinsurance Notice

Certain hospital outpatient divisions, such as the Multi-Disciplinary and Oncology Care Centers, can be classified as “Hospital-Based Outpatient” departments by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). “Hospital-Based Outpatient” refers to the billing process for services rendered in a hospital outpatient department or location, and is a common practice for integrated health care systems where the hospital employs the support personnel involved in patient care, and physicians provide their services in a hospital-owned space. This clinical integration results in a more seamless coordination of your care across the clinics and hospital. If you have a question about this designation, please ask our registrar.

The “Hospital-Based Outpatient” designation means that you will receive separate billing statements for services provided in the clinic: a hospital fee and a physician(s) professional service fee.

Hospital-based outpatient clinics are held to nationally recognized service and patient care standards, leading to high-quality care for patients.

Patients admitted to the hospital or seen in our outpatient departments have typically received separate billings for hospital staff and physician services. Following this same type of billing process ensures more appropriate payment for the care provided.

It’s possible some patients will pay more for certain outpatient services and procedures at our hospital outpatient locations, depending on the services they receive and their specific insurance coverage.

Medicare patients could incur a coinsurance or deductible liability to the hospital that they would not incur if the facility were not hospital-based.

We encourage patients to review their insurance benefits or contact their insurance provider to determine what their policy will pay and what out-of-pocket expenses they may incur.

Depending on each patient’s specific insurance benefits, additional out-of-pocket expenses may be incurred under the “Hospital-Based Outpatient” model.

Questions on estimates of possible co-insurance payment amounts can be addressed to our Patient Access Department at 1-551-996-2099 or 551-996-2808, between the hours of 8 am -5 pm, Monday through Friday.

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