You may see a charge on your health care bill for “hospital services” even though you didn’t visit one of our hospitals.
This is because not all hospital services are provided in the hospital itself. Some doctors’ offices, outpatient clinics and other facilities at Norton Healthcare, and at other larger health care systems, are classified as hospital-based clinics or departments.
For example, if you have care at Norton Cancer Institute, with a few exceptions, you will see the charges for the care provided by the clinical professionals and for the facility.
Health care systems with hospital-based clinics have met Medicare regulations, which private insurance companies typically adopt, to classify outpatient doctors’ offices and facilities this way.
This structure brings clinics and services closer to the hospital, improving quality, safety and consistency of care. Just like our hospital facilities, our hospital-based clinics and departments are held to the performance standards set by DNV, an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits and certifies health care organizations and programs across the United States. Both the hospital and its hospital-based clinics and departments undergo unannounced surveys by DNV reviewers to ensure compliance.
Aligning care with hospital services also eases the transition from outpatient to inpatient care if needed. This can be particularly beneficial for patients who require ongoing or specialized treatments.
Since hospital-based clinics and departments operate under the hospital’s oversight, your office visit is billed in the same way as hospital services. If permitted by your insurance company, the physician and the hospital will file separate claims to your insurance company. The hospital claim will include charges for your room, medical or technical services, supplies and equipment. Facility and treatment room fees also will be included on this claim. The physician claim will include fees related to your doctor’s care, including treatments and procedures, as well as services provided by other professionals involved in your care. If you do not have insurance, you will directly receive the bill. Norton Healthcare’s centralized medical billing system will provide one bill that shows your portion of the physician and hospital services.
As with any medical services, your insurance coverage will determine whether you are responsible for all or part of the charges on each bill.