Wiki Financial Hardship write off

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ivonneatanacio

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Medicare patient calls and has a balance; they state I can't pay the bill because I live on a fixed income.

Do I ask for a hardship letter?
Do I ask for taxes as proof of financial hardship?

What is the protocol for this matter?

Any information out there I can get??
 
Have you tried asking them to make payments? If they say they cant afford to make payments I would ask them to send a letter stating that due to their limited income they are unable to afford to pay the bill.
 
I would create an office policy for which is viewed as a reasonable collections effort. Follow this policy for each patient alike...

Where a physician/supplier makes a reasonable collection effort for the payment of coinsurance/deductibles, failure to collect payment is not considered a reduction in the physician’s/supplier’s charge. To be considered a reasonable collection effort, the effort to collect Medicare coinsurance/deductible amounts must be similar to the effort made to collect comparable amounts from non-Medicare patients. It must also involve the issuance of a bill to the beneficiary or to the party responsible for the patient’s personal financial obligations. In addition, it may include other actions, such as subsequent billings, collection letters and telephone calls or personal contacts which constitute a genuine, rather than token, collection effort.

http://www.cms.gov/manuals/downloads/clm104c23.pdf

80.8.1

http://www.workworld.org/wwwebhelp/poverty_guidelines_federal.htm

A hardship form is certainly a step in the right direction.
 
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