Charges the same, billed separately

To the editor:

During 2018, IU Health Jay has navigated a large amount of change as a healthcare provider. Perhaps one area where that has been most acutely felt is in the billing between the hospital, physician offices, insurance companies and ultimately our patients’ mailboxes. 

You may have noticed a change in the bills you receive for services from IU Health Jay providers. Or, you may have received more than one explanation of benefits (EOB) statement from your insurance company for care you received in our hospital-based physician clinics. 

Previously, because our physicians were employed directly by Jay County Hospital, the facility charge and professional charge for these services were billed together. Today, the providers at IU Health Jay are employed by the IU Health Ball Physicians group, so the two charges are billed separately.

These are neither new nor additional charges. Billing for both facility and professional services (whether together or separate) is a standard practice for hospital-based providers, and has been in place at Jay since 2014. Because your health insurance is now receiving the charges separately, they are processed separately and generate two EOBs. 

You have not, and will not be charged for the same services twice. And while in most cases our charges have not increased, and in many cases our charges are now lower, there are some instances where the bills will look somewhat different than they have in the past. We understand how this change brings with it some questions, so we have team members on site at IU Health Jay and also reachable by phone to answer questions. 

For questions regarding billing, please contact an IU Health Patient Financial Services representative between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at (877) 668-5621.  To talk to someone about a cost estimate for an upcoming service please contact our price estimates team at [email protected] or (833) 722-6050.

As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Contact us online through the My IU Health portal (iuhealth.org) to share your thoughts. 

Thank you for allowing us to provide care to you and your family.

We are privileged to serve this community and we want to continue the conversation and address any concerns our patients may have.

Dave Hyatt

President

IU Health Jay

Jon Vanator

Chief financial officer

IU Health East Central Region