Our Commitment to You:
- NMC will bill your health plan, automobile or workers compensation insurer for covered services before billing you (except for co-pays, co-insurance, or deductibles).
- NMC will make reasonable efforts to obtain referrals, authorizations, and pre-certifications from your health plan.
- NMC will also provide payment plans if you are uninsured or have large balances after insurance.
Your Responsibility as Our Patient:
Provide us with your health plan information and let us know when a service is covered by a party other than your health plan; such as auto insurance or a worker compensation plan. Bring your insurance card with you anytime you come to a hospital.
Present your co-pay when checking in for your appointment.
Keep us updated with your personal information including home address, employer information, and telephone numbers.
Know your insurance coverage, and be aware of any out of pocket expenses.
Cost of your care
As insurance coverages and government regulations change, our patients are asking what their care will cost – in advance – on a more frequent basis. The answer is not always simple, as it can be difficult to predict exactly what procedure may be performed, exactly which medications will be used, and how a patient’s other conditions may affect the treatment and healing processes. Due to many variables we work with each patient to understand their care needs and provide them with an estimate of what their care will cost. We can also work with an individual patient to help them better understand their insurance coverage and the deductibles, co-pays, and balances for which they may be responsible under their plan. NMC recognizes that health care billing can be complex. We work closely with our patients to help them navigate the various systems and have the ability to offer financial assistance for those in need. To ensure you receive the best possible information in the most efficient manner, contact our Patient Financial Services team by calling 802-524-1048. Or, email the group at [email protected].
Understanding our costs
We understand that health care is expensive, so we work hard to keep our costs as low as possible to help contain the cost of health care. The technology, staff, and supplies it takes to run a hospital 24-hours a day, 7-days a week are expensive. We face the same increases in utilities, pharmaceuticals, and insurances as families and companies in our community do. It is a never-ending effort here at NMC to ensure we can care for our community properly without spending too much. Even with our emphasis on keeping costs low, we can’t charge simply what it costs to provide the care, because Medicare and Medicaid don’t pay hospitals fully for the care provided to their patients. We are forced to shift that unpaid cost to other patients, which drives up charges for everyone. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is working with the Legislature, employers, insurers, and other groups to improve the system, but for now, the cost shift inflates our charges.
How do NMC’s costs compare statewide?
The State of Vermont maintains a comparison of hospital charges on each hospital’s most common admissions, the most common outpatient surgical procedures, and the most common diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. As you look at the posted data, you will find that NMC compares favorably with the other Vermont hospitals, ranking below the State average in most cases. You can see this comparison of NMC’s prices to other hospitals at The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation website.
Questions on your bill
For Hospital or Physician Billing: If you have a question about a billing statement that you receive, call 802-524-1048 and we will be happy to help you. If you would rather email, send your question to Patient Financial Services at [email protected].