Financial Assistance Guidelines
OAHHS Financial Assistance Guidelines
Suggested policy guidelines for financial assistance of qualifying patients in Oregon hospitals were developed through a collaborative effort by OAHHS, Portland-area hospitals’ chief financial officers, and Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC). The guidelines are approved for distribution in Oregon hospitals by the OAHHS Board of Trustees, and can be viewed here.
Discounting for Self-Pay Patients
Oregon was an early leader in the development of financial assistance guidelines for qualifying patients in Oregon hospitals. This early effort was the result of a collaborative effort by OAHHS, its member hospitals, and the Oregon Health Action Campaign (OHAC).
Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided guidance on a related issue: The discounting of hospital charges paid by self-paying/uninsured clients.
Discounting of hospital charges for self-pay clients has long been an area of confusion. This new HHS guidance begins to provide the information necessary for hospitals to consider the inclusion of such discounts into their overall financial assistance programs.
The following links are intended as resources to assist Oregon hospitals in the formation of self-pay policies, which can appropriately balance the needs of the communities they serve, and the financial health of their institutions.
 Deloitte advisory on hospital discounting
HHS and OIG guidelines on hospital discounting
HHS Q&A on hospital discounting
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2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines
Click here for the latest Federal Poverty Guidelines.
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Helpful Links
The Patient Friendly Billing Project: Hospitals share insights to improrve financial policies for uninsured and underinsured patients. www.patientfriendlybilling.org.
Hospital Charity Care Practices: Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Download the PDF here.
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