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FINANCE
As the number of uninsured and underinsured patients continues to increase in the United States, financial assistance policies in health care organizations are playing an increasingly important role in making sure patients receive the care they need with little or no financial burden. If these policies are going to work, however, all staff must be well-educated about them and patients must have easy access to both policy information and the application process.
Alegent Health, a not-for-profit health care system based in Omaha, Neb., operates nine acute care hospitals in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa. The system has created a financial assistance policy that ties in closely to its mission.
"The mission of Alegent Health is to further the healing ministry of Jesus Christ," explains Scott Woolen, senior vice president and chief financial officer for the system. "We see all people as children of God and deserving of dignity and respect at all times, including when accessing health care. Our financial assistance policy is one way we live this belief, allowing individuals and families without the necessary resources to pay for their health care by receiving care at a lesser cost or no cost, depending on their circumstances."
When first developing its financial assistance policy, Alegent Health wanted a design that worked directly with patients to find solutions. Tim Meier, chief financial officer at Alegent Health Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha, was part of the team that designed the policy. He says, "We used a combination of what we felt were best practices across the nation and what we felt worked best for our patient population."
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