Financial Assistance

No Surprises Act | Bayou Bend

Charity Assistance Information

Charity care is considered for individuals who do not have the resources to pay their bill for services rendered. Those with low incomes or individuals with catastrophic medical bills may be medically indigent and eligible for charity care even if they can meet basic living expenses. *Charity care does not apply to elective services or individuals who have the resources but are unwilling to pay their bill for services rendered.


Policy on Indigent/Charity Care

If a patient is determined to be financially indigent, the Patient Financial Services department will assist the patient/guarantor in applying for financial assistance from Medicaid. If no source of financial assistance is available, the Financial Counselor will review the account for Charity Care eligibility. At no time should a patient be denied emergency or urgently required services based on their ability to pay.


Except in cases of extreme financial hardship, charity care will not apply to Medicare co-insurance or deductibles or to routine co-insurance or deductibles of insurance or managed care plans. In no case will Medicare deductibles or co-insurance be routinely waved.


Procedure for Application/Consideration:

  1. The Financial Counselor or designee will assist patients in applying for aid from all outside sources as a priority. All other payment sources are to be investigated and eliminated before charity care is authorized. Other payment sources may include, but are not limited to, Medicaid, bank accounts, personal loans, stocks and bonds, the victims of violent crimes program, homeowners or automobile insurance or other insurance.
  2. Once all other funding options are eliminated, patients or their representatives may apply for charity care by completing a charity care application. The application must be fully completed and Charity care is the option of last resort.
  3. To qualify for Charity Care gross income should be less than or equal to 100% of the poverty guidelines published annually by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to be eligible.
  4. A patient may also qualify for charity care if the amount of hospital charges due from the patient exceeds 25% of the annual family income.
  5. Patients eligible for Medicaid who have exceeded their coverage in days or visits may also qualify as eligible for charity care.
  6. Expired patients who have no estate are deemed to have no income for the purpose of determining eligibility.
  7. The patient must complete the application and submit the required documentation to be considered.
  8. Charity shall only apply to a patient’s out-of-pocket amount due. If a third-party payment is expected, the charity allowance is not applied until after the payment is received. If a charity care allowance is applied and a third-party payment is later received, the charity allowance will be reversed by the amount of the payment.
  9. Consideration will be given to individual circumstances and applications will be reviewed/approved by the PFS Director and Chief Financial Officer. Up to $5,000 may be approved by the PFS Director and anything above this amount requires additional approval by the CFO.
  10. If the patient qualifies for charity assistance, then they will be granted assistance for one year from the date of the first occurrence qualified. They may re-apply if needed after that period.
  11. Ideally, determination of eligibility should be made prior to an inpatient discharge. Retroactive determinations on active accounts are also acceptable. Accounts placed in bad debt will not qualify for charity assistance due to the age of the account.


Click here for the Financial Assistance Application



For more information, call our Financial Counselor: 337-355-1232