Access our Billing FAQ's page for commonly asked questions and answers about your bill.
Click Here to Download a Financial Assistance Application
General Billing Procedures
Bills are mailed directly to the patient at the address on record, or to the "guarantor" of the account (if the patient is a minor, or has insurance coverage through another person). This person is designated at registration.
What is on Your Bill
Your bill represents the charges for services you received during your hospital stay. The daily rate includes bed occupancy, meals, and nursing care. You will also see charges for laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging (x-ray), medications, use of the operating room, and any other tests, procedures, or supplies your doctors have ordered. Professional fees for your physicians’ services, with some exceptions, are billed separately.
Information Printed on Your Bill
Your bill contains the name and phone number of your patient account representative and what to do if you suspect an error. Our weekday office hours are 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Your bill will show the total charges and will indicate the insurance information we have on file.
Doctor’s Bills
Your hospital bill will include the charges for physicians who work for the hospital and provide services to you while you are in the emergency room, admitted as an inpatient or receive an outpatient procedure. Patients should expect to receive separate bills from any private doctors who participated in their care, such as the surgeon, as well as from the radiology group, if diagnostic imaging was performed, and the pathology group, if specimen(s) were sent for pathological examination. If you should have questions about any of these bills, please contact the doctor or group directly that is noted on the bill.
Summary & Itemized Statements
If you receive a summary billing and would like an itemized statement of your charges, you may request one.
Insurance Information
We depend on our patients to provide accurate billing and insurance information at the time of admission. This is essential to ensure effective and timely claim filing on your behalf. You are welcome to contact our Billing Office at any time to update your information in our system (See Billing Advocates below).
Estimating Payments
Our Healthcare Finance Coordinator can help you estimate your potential financial responsibility (after insurance) for hospital services. We may request a down payment of this estimated amount.
Insurance Coverage
The hospital participates with Medicare, Medicaid, Champus/Tricare, and Worker’s Compensation. We accept Employee Group Health and private insurance coverage if we receive complete billing information. For inpatient, surgical, and selected outpatient therapies, procedures, and testing, we will verify that the insurance is in effect at the time of service. The insurance subscriber is responsible for complying with their insurance company’s requirements. Those requirements may include obtaining referrals, pre-certification, second opinions, and/or ensuring that the hospital belongs to their particular network of managed care providers.
Clark Fork Valley Hospital will file your insurance claims, and will also file any secondary insurance that you report to us. If your insurance company has not paid on a timely basis, we will send you a letter requesting your help involving whatever problems have led to the delay in payment. You are responsible for seeing that your insurance company pays us correctly and on a timely basis.
Final Payment
Once your insurance company has paid, we will send you a statement requesting payment of the remaining balance. A discount is available for promptly settling your account (See "Discounts" below). If you cannot make payment in full within 30 days, please call us to explore other options for payment arrangements.
If You Are Without Insurance Coverage
We offer special discounts to the uninsured for prepayment or prompt payment of their bills (See "Discounts" below). In the case of financial hardship, our Finance Specialists will assist in exploring all possible resources for medical assistance within the community, including Medicaid and other public programs as well as the hospital's Financial Assistance.
Clark Fork Valley Hospital will accept monthly payments after all other alternative methods of payments have been exhausted. Monthly payments are set according to the current approved payment schedule and personal financial information may be required to set appropriate payment arrangements.
Making Sense of Medical Bills
Understanding your hospital bill, medical charges and insurance benefits, charges, requirements, deductibles, and co-payments can be confusing. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions.
Discounts
Insured Prompt Pay Discount
The hospital offers a 25% prepayment discount for payment of the estimated patient portion of the bill at the time of service.
Note: Copays for Family Medicine Network (FMN) and Emergency Room visits are expected to be paid at the time of service and are not subject to discount.
The hospital will honor a prompt pay discount of 10% for payment in full of any self-pay balance within 30 days of billing of the patient portion.
Uninsured Prompt Pay Discount
The hospital will honor a discount of 30% for payment in advance of the estimated charges for hospital and FMN services for which the patient has no insurance benefits.
The hospital will honor a discount of 20% for payment within 30 days of billing for hospital and FMN services for which the patient has no insurance benefits.
Senior Care
Streamlining medical care for patients 65 and over
Senior Care is a benefit program developed by Clark Fork Valley Hospital, specifically designed to meet the needs of our patients age 65 or over. This program provides the following:
- Personalized Senior Care identification card to streamline hospital admission and discharge
- Personal billing and financial assistance with medical bills
- A complimentary guest tray daily during your stay as an inpatient at CFVH
- Discounted meals in the CFVH cafeteria
- Special events and education opportunities, as scheduled
- Waiver of any remaining balance of Medicare deductibles and coinsurance after billing to Medicare and secondary insurance. Discounts vary depending on income level and sliding scale (See Sliding Scale reference below).
- Discounted purchases at Mementos Gift Shop locatd at the main hospital entrance lobby
Sliding Scale
- Based on Income
- Exclusive of Social Security
Percentage Discount
- On balance after Medicare and any secondary insurance
- Based on Income Level above
Click Here to Download a Senior Care Enrollment Form
If you have any questions or need special assistance, please call (406) 826-4858 to speak with our Senior Care Coordinator.
Please complete the Senior Care enrollment form and return it to:
Clark Fork Valley Hospital
ATTN: Senior Care Coordinator
PO Box 768
Plains, MT 59859
Contact Us
Finance Specialists
Finance Coordinator: (406) 826-4859
Plains Family Medicine Finance Specialist: (406) 826-4962
Thompson Falls Family Medicine Finance Specialist: (406) 826-4912
Billing Advocates
Last Name ending in A-K: (406) 826-4865
Last Name ending in L-Z: (406) 826-4829
Medicare Biller: (406) 826-4933