News from UW Medicine (UWM)

ByLopez Island Hospital District

In addition to supporting their patient’s health needs throughout the pandemic, UWM has launched a new Self Pay discount program to help patient’s who are also experiencing financial challenges. The program went live on July 1,2020 and UWM shared some of the basic featuresl which are summarized below.

Issue/Background:

Prior to July 1st 2020, patient discounts were granted based on different requirements depending on facility the services were provided.

What is changing?

Starting July 1st 2020, UW Medicine will be offering self-pay discounts to patients and guarantors who are uninsured or are receiving services that are not covered by their current insurance plan.

Self-Pay Patients:

  • A 30% discount will automatically be applied to the total estimated charges.
  • If the payment is made in full on or before the date of service, an additional 10% discount will be applied to the remaining account balance.

As always:

  • Estimates for patient care, may be higher or lower than actual cost, depending on the specific needs of a patient’s care.
  • If the actual patient balance is less than the original estimate, then patient will receive a refund for any overage that was paid after the discount has been applied, unless the patient has any outstanding bills with UW Medicine.
  • If actual patient balance is more than the original estimate, then patient will be billed for the difference.  The prompt pay discount will be applied to the additional charges

Insured Patients with Non-Covered Services:

  • If it is determined that a portion of the patient’s services are not covered, prior to service or deemed non-covered after claims processing, the non-covered amount will be eligible for the 30% discount.
  • The additional 10% pre-pay discount will be applied if paid on or before date of service.
  • UW Medicine does not offer discounts for balances after insurance, which includes copay’s, deductibles and coinsurance.

Anyone interested in learning more should contact the UW Medicine Lopez Island Clinic directly for additional details. The LIHD continues to appreciate the support of UW and our local Clinic team.