Financial Assistance Program Policy

Eligible Services   

Emergent and/or medically necessary healthcare services provided by Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, at any location, excluding office visits, cash package services and elective services.

Eligible Patients  

Patients receiving eligible services, who submit a Financial Assistance Application (including all supporting documentation in the time allotted), and who are determined eligible for assistance based on the guidelines of this policy.

Eligibility Period  

Patients have 240 days from the date of their first bill to return their completed application and the required supporting financial documentation to the Financial Counselors.  Applications are processed monthly and a determination letter will be sent to the patients after the final determination is made.

Determination of Financial Assistance Eligibility

With few exceptions, patients are eligible for financial assistance based on income levels and assets.  This eligibility is based on the Federal Poverty Limits set annually by the U. S. Department of Health & Human Services. Verification of eligibility is required so patients must provide documentation to support income and assets through the application process.  Failure to do so could mean denied assistance.  In some cases, Memorial Hospital may presumptively approve charity for individuals meeting certain criteria as outlined in the Financial Assistance Policy and may do so using a third party vendor.

View and Download the Financial Assistance Program Policy

Amounts Generally Billed

An eligible patient will not be charged more than the AGB for emergency or other medically necessary care charged to patients who have insurance.  The AGB is calculated based on the average of the three lowest commercially negotiated insurance rates. Financial Assistance discounts are applied to gross charges using this rate.

View and Download the Billing Compliance Policy

Collection Activities   

Memorial will make reasonable efforts to determine if a patient is eligible for Financial Assistance before making any extraordinary collection attempts.  Collection practices will be completed in accordance with the Memorial billing and collection guidelines.  Collection attempts may be completed by the hospital or a designated agency.  Non-payment will not be reported to a collection agency until a minimum 120 days after the first billing date.