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1998
Charity Care in
Washington Hospitals
July 2000
Center for Health Statistics
Hospital and Patient Data Systems
Contents
Charity Care Policy for Washington Hospitals
Measuring Hospitals’ Charitable Contributions to Their Communities
Charity Care in Washington Hospitals
Charity Care Projections for FY 1999
How Hospitals Project Charity Care
How Hospitals Verify Need for Charity Care
How Hospitals Notify the Public About Charity Care
Appendices
Appendix 1: Charity Care Dollars as a Percentage of Gross Patient Revenue and Adjusted Revenue
Appendix 3: Charity Care Provided or Projected: Actual FY 1998 and Estimated FY 1999
Appendix 4: Charity Care Laws RCW 70.170.060 and Rules WAC 246-451
Appendix 5: 2000 Federal Poverty Guidelines
Stating that access to health care is among the state’s goals, the 1989 Legislature included language which prohibits any Washington hospital from denying access to emergency care based on inability to pay, or adopting admission policies which significantly reduce charity care. The same legislation directs each hospital to develop a charity care policy consistent with the statute. The Department of Health (DOH) is responsible for rule-making and monitoring related to charity care, and is required to report to the Legislature and Governor on an annual basis. This report presents data submitted by Washington hospitals in their fiscal year (FY) 1998 Hospital Year-end Report and 1999 Annual Budget Submittals.
This report :
This document discusses aggregated findings for all licensed Washington hospitals, for hospitals grouped by regions, and for rural hospitals. Hospital-specific data were reviewed for accuracy.
RCW 70.170 defines charity care as "necessary inpatient and outpatient hospital health care rendered to indigent persons..." A person is considered indigent if family income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Past hospital accounting practice did not consistently separate bad debt (often stemming from non-payment of bills by low income patients) from charity care. As a result of recent improvements in charity care accounting required by law, this report utilizes only charity care rather than a combination of charity care and bad debts as in reports prior to 1995.
Washington hospitals provided $108 million in charity care for 1998, which is an increase of 6.24% above 1997 and a 2.46% increase above the 1996 levels. Charity care for 1998 was 1.31% of total hospital revenue and 2.46% of "adjusted revenue" (with Medicare and Medical Assistance Program payments deleted for comparisons focused on each hospital’s base of primarily private payments). From 1989 until 1993, charity care steadily increased in total dollars and as a percent of revenue, while from 1994 through 1997, charity care steadily declined in both categories. Total charity care for 1998 increased for the first time in five years.
Sixteen hospitals each provided more than $2 million of charity care in FY 1998, which accounted for 72% of the statewide charity care. Regionally, King County clearly provides the largest dollar amount of charity care, with Harborview Medical Center alone providing in excess of 21 percent of the statewide total. Rural hospitals report less charity care, in proportion to their total adjusted revenue, than do urban hospitals. Rural hospitals also have a higher proportion of revenue from Medicare and Medical Assistance (including Medicaid), resulting in a smaller base of private sector payers to which charity care costs could be shifted.
Charity Care Policy For Washington Hospitals
Since 1991 Washington hospitals have been required to maintain a charity care policy on file with the Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics. Each policy includes the following information:
In addition to the charity care policy, each hospital annually reports actual total charges for charity care, bad debt, and total uncompensated health care in its fiscal year (FY) within 120 days of the close of the fiscal year as part of the hospital’s year-end financial report. Hospitals also provide estimated charity care 30 days prior to the start of their fiscal year in their annual budget submittal. Two health maintenance organization (HMO - Group Health) hospitals are not included in this report since health care charges are prepaid through member subscriptions and therefore uncompensated health care is not incurred. This report is based on data collected from the remaining 90 licensed Washington hospitals for fiscal year 1998.
Charity care data reported to the State did not include the number of patients granted uncompensated care. Therefore, it is unknown whether the number of charity care cases is going up, down or remaining the same over time. This number is required to better characterize the provision of charity care in Washington. For that reason, the Department is currently requesting this information be reported along with charity care charges. Beginning with 1999 data, the reports will reflect the number of patients provided charity care in each hospital, by region, and for rural hospitals.
This report reflects mostly summary information, but additional data can be obtained from the Center’s Hospital and Patient Data Systems (HPDS) database. The Center for Health Statistics maintains a file for public use of all financial information submitted by Washington hospitals, which goes beyond the issue of charity care. The hospital financial database includes hospital utilization, revenues, and expenses. This office also maintains a database containing patient discharge information. Persons interested in obtaining more information should contact the Center by calling (360) 236-4200 regarding the availability and cost of specific data requests or copies of individual hospital reports.
Charity care is defined in RCW 70.170.020 as necessary hospital health care rendered to indigent persons, to the extent that the persons are unable to pay for the care or pay the deductibles or co-insurance amounts required by a third-party payer. A person in need of care is considered "indigent" if family income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Past hospital accounting practice did not consistently separate bad debt from charity care. The basic distinction between bad debts and charity care in the health care setting can be made between uncollectible accounts arising from a patient’s unwillingness to pay (bad debt) and those arising from a patient’s inability to pay (charity care).
Effective March 1991, the Department of Health adopted accounting rules which provided uniform procedures, data requirements, and criteria for identifying patients receiving charity care. These rules also provided a definition of residual bad debt. These changes have resulted in more accurate and consistent reporting on the components of uncompensated care. This report utilizes only charity care, rather than a combination of charity care and bad debts as in earlier reports (pre-1995).
Measuring Hospitals’ Charitable Contributions to Their Communities
Measuring what a hospital gives back to the community or comparing one hospital’s contribution with another is not an easy exercise. Hospitals often support their communities through free or low-cost services, which are not easily quantifiable and are not included in their uncompensated health care totals reported to Department of Health.
Comparisons based solely on data included in this report can lead to misleading findings. A high level of charity care may just as easily reflect demographic conditions in a service area (income level, unemployment rate, etc.) as the charitable mission of a hospital. Conversely, a low level may reflect a relative absence of need for charity care in a hospital’s service area, rather than a lack of commitment to serve the community. Therefore, this report makes no value judgment of any individual hospital provision of charity care. In addition, the state has not established the "appropriate" amount of charity care that a hospital should provide.
A hospital can provide only so much uncompensated health care and remain a financially healthy institution. Ultimately, if enough charges are uncompensated, whether they are attributed to bad debt expense or to charity care, the facility will face operating losses. Hospitals may attempt to recover uncompensated health care by shifting costs to other payers, subsidizing uncompensated charges with nonoperating revenue (e.g., parking lots, gifts shops, endowments), or increasing prices for hospital
services. With the advent of managed care, these options are becoming less and less viable.
Charity Care in Washington Hospitals
Charity care increased from $102 million in FY 1997 to $108 million in FY 1998. This represents a 6.2 % increase in total charity care from 1997 to 1998. Table 1 summarizes the statewide provision of charity care from 1996 through 1998. This table also presents charity care as a percentage of total revenue (including Medicare and Medical Assistance) and adjusted revenue (without those government programs). The decline in the percentage of charity care offered by hospitals may be due in part to an improved economy. With more people working, the ability to pay should be improved.
Table 1
Overview of Hospital Charity Care in Washington 1996-1998
| Average | Percent Change | |||||
| 1996-98 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1996-98 | 1997-98 | |
| Charity Care | ||||||
| Total Dollars ($M) | $105.4 | $105.8 | $102.0 | $108.4 | 2.5% | 6.3% |
| Percent of Total Revenue | $1.41% | $1.55 | $1.37 | $1.31 | -15.5% | -4.4% |
| Percent of Adjusted Revenue | $2.75% | $3.16 | $2.63 | $2.46 | -22.2% | -6.5% |
Source: Washington Department of Health Hospital Financial Data Year-end Reports FY 96-98
The hospital accounting concept of "adjusted revenue" subtracts Medicare and Medical Assistance (including Medicaid) charges from total patient care revenue to allow meaningful comparisons of hospital levels of charity care. Medicare and Medicaid have specifically excluded participation in covering charity care from their prospectively-determined payment levels. Since the payments that hospitals receive from Medicare and Medical Assistance do not cover charity care, the hospitals adjust their rates to recoup the charity care from their base of private purchasers and payers. This private paying base differs widely among hospitals as a percentage of their business. Therefore, the use of "adjusted revenue" allows for a comparison of hospital charity care as a percentage of this meaningful base of privately-sponsored patients.
A majority of the state’s charity care comes from relatively few hospitals. Sixteen urban hospitals each reported $2 million or more, and together provided $78 million in charity care (approximately 72% of the charity care provided statewide) in FY 1998 (see Table 2). The amount of charity care individual hospitals provided ranged from $0 to $23.2 million, which reflect differences in their size, types of services provided, provisions for charity care in their mission statements, and the characteristics of surrounding communities.
| Table 2. Washington hospitals that reported more than $2 million in charity care, FY 1998 | |||
| Hospital | City | County |
Charity Care |
| Harborview Medical Center | Seattle | King |
$23,233,429 |
| University of Washington Medical Center | Seattle | King |
7,835,503 |
| Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center | Seattle | King |
5,855,124 |
| Deaconess Medical Center | Spokane | Spokane |
5,141,853 |
| Swedish Hospital Medical Center | Seattle | King |
5,124,311 |
| Providence Saint Peter Hospital | Olympia | Thurston |
4,551,030 |
| Saint Joseph Hospital | Bellingham | Whatcom |
3,433,289 |
| Valley Medical Center | Renton | King |
3,387,431 |
| Sacred Heart Medical Center | Spokane | Spokane |
2,987,942 |
| Southwest Washington Medical Center | Vancouver | Clark |
2,803,842 |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | Puyallup | Pierce |
2,739,903 |
| Providence General Medical Center | Everett | Snohomish |
2,424,884 |
| Providence Seattle Medical Center | Seattle | King |
2,281,520 |
| Northwest Hospital | Seattle | King |
2,158,057 |
| Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital | Yakima | Yakima |
2,040,011 |
| Tacoma General Hospital | Tacoma | Pierce |
2,027,073 |
| Total |
$78,025,202 |
||
Source: FY 1998Washington Department of Health Financial Data Year-end Reports
Appendix 1 lists each hospital’s charity care as dollar amounts and as percentages of its total gross patient revenue and adjusted revenue.
Statewide charity care in FY 1998 averaged 2.46% of adjusted revenue (2.63% in FY 1997).The three hospitals providing the most charity care as a percentage of gross patient revenue were:
The three hospitals providing the most charity care as a percentage of adjusted revenue were:
Three hospitals reported zero charity care in FY 1998.
Tables 3 and 4 group hospitals into five regions. The 1998 proportions of charity care show wide variations among different areas of the state. Four of the five regions are groups of 13 to 21 contiguous counties. The fifth region, King County, is the state’s largest population center and has a concentration of hospitals.
| Table 3 | ||||||
| Charity Care By Region 1995-98 | ||||||
|
Charity Care as a % of Adj Rev |
||||||
| Hospital Region |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
||
| Central Washington |
3.60% |
3.25% |
2.67% |
2.48% |
||
| Eastern Washington |
3.16% |
3.30% |
2.23% |
2.20% |
||
| King County |
3.77% |
3.26% |
2.97% |
2.88% |
||
| Puget Sound |
3.24% |
2.77% |
2.17% |
1.82% |
||
| Southwest Washington |
3.41% |
3.39% |
2.76% |
2.36% |
||
| Statewide |
3.51% |
3.16% |
2.63% |
2.46% |
||
| Source: Washington Department of Health Hospital Financial Data Year-end Reports FY 95-98 | ||||||
Among these regions, King County clearly provides the largest dollar amount of charity care. However, this picture changes dramatically when Harborview Medical Center’s $23.2 million in charity care (21.4% of the statewide total) is excluded. Then charity care in King County drops from 2.88% of adjusted revenue to 1.90%. It is also important to note that Harborview derives 57.0% of its revenue from Medicare and Medical Assistance, far more than the aggregate percent of other King County hospitals (40.3%) or the statewide percent (46.8%). This comparison shows a very limited base for the cost-shifting of charity care at Harborview.
| Table 4 | ||||||
| Overview of Hospital Charity Care by Region in 1998 (All dollars in Millions) | ||||||
| Hospital Revenues ($M) | Care as | |||||
|
Charity |
Medicare/ |
Percent of | ||||
|
Care |
Medical |
Region's | ||||
|
Total |
Assistance |
Adjusted |
Adj Rev | |||
| King County |
$58.5 |
$3,503.1 |
$1,475.1 |
$2,028.0 |
2.88% |
|
| As a % of State Total |
54.0% |
42.3% |
38.1% |
46.0% |
||
| Puget Sound |
$19.5 |
$1,970.0 |
$898.0 |
$1,072.0 |
1.82% |
|
| (Less King County) | ||||||
| As a % of State Total |
18.0% |
23.8% |
23.2% |
24.3% |
||
| Southwest Washington |
$10.0 |
$913.2 |
$488.1 |
$425.1 |
2.36% |
|
| As a % of State Total |
9.3% |
11.0% |
12.6% |
9.6% |
||
| Central Washington |
$8.3 |
$753.5 |
$419.2 |
$334.3 |
2.48% |
|
| As a % of State Total |
7.7% |
9.1% |
10.8% |
7.6% |
||
| Eastern Washington |
$12.1 |
$1,143.7 |
$594.2 |
$549.5 |
2.20% |
|
| As a % of State Total |
11.1% |
13.8% |
15.3% |
12.5% |
||
| State Total |
$108.4 |
$8,283.5 |
$3,874.6 |
$4,408.9 |
2.46% |
|
Source: FY 97 Washington Department of Health Hospital Financial Data Year-end Reports
Using definitions from DOH Office of Rural Health (Appendix 2), there were 44 hospitals which could be classified as rural in 1998. Of these, 8 were in sparsely populated "Frontier" areas, 19 in "Remote Rural" areas, and 17 in "Less Remote Rural " areas. Most rural hospitals are small; two-thirds have less than 45 set-up beds. Included in the Less Remote Rural category are five larger Medicare-designated rural referral hospitals which range in size from 107 to 222 set-up beds.
Rural hospitals reported total charity care of $10.3 million in 1996, $9.9 million in 1997, and $8.5 million in 1998. Overall, rural hospitals have tended to provide less charity care than their urban counterparts and have also tended to be more dependent on Medicare and Medical Assistance discounted payments, as shown in Table 5. For rural hospitals, charity care averaged 1.69 percent of adjusted revenue, while charity care for urban hospitals averaged 2.46 percent of adjusted revenue.
| Table 5 | |||
| 1998 Rural Charity Care | |||
|
Charity Care |
Medicare & Medical |
||
|
% of Adjusted |
Assistance as a % |
||
|
Revenue |
Total Revenue |
||
| Rural Hospitals (44) |
1.7% |
56.7% |
|
| Frontier (8) |
1.6% |
56.7% |
|
| Remote Rural (19) |
1.4% |
57.1% |
|
| Less Remote Rural (17) |
1.8% |
56.6% |
|
| Urban (46) |
2.6% |
45.2% |
|
| All Hospitals (90) |
2.5% |
46.8% |
|
| Definitions are from DOH Office of Rural Health (See Appendix 2) | |||
For 1998, rural hospitals derived 56.7% of their total revenue from Medicare and Medical Assistance discounted payments. This indicated a more limited base for shifting charity care charges to other payers in rural hospitals than in urban hospitals, which have 45.2% Medicare/Medical Assistance payments.
In 1998, charity care (Appendix 2) was less than one percent of total revenue for 37 of the 44 rural hospitals; of these 37, it was 0.5% or less for 22 hospitals. In terms of adjusted revenue, charity care was less than 2% for 33 of the 44 hospitals; of these 33, it was 1% or less for 20 hospitals. Only one rural hospital reported zero charity care.
Among the three categories of rural hospitals, Less Remote Rural hospitals provided the most charity care as a percentage of adjusted revenue during 1998, and Remote Rural hospitals the least.
Charity Care Projections for FY 1999
In accordance with state statute, hospitals submit a projected annual budget prior to the start of their fiscal year. Included in their budget are projections for their anticipated total charges for charity care for the next fiscal year (FY 1999). Overall, hospitals projected that charity care would decrease 4.97 percent, or $6.0 million below the projected FY 1998 or 6.19 percent above the actual FY 1998 (see Table 6 below). Hospital projections for charity care have been higher than actual experience over the past several years
Table 6. Summary data of actual and projected charges for charity care, Washington hospitals, FY 1996 through 1999
|
ALL HOSPITALS |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
| Projected Charity |
112,958,702 |
117,891,206 |
121,094,381 |
115,077,143 |
|
Percent Change |
4.37% |
2.72% |
-4.97% |
|
| Actual Charity |
105,767,242 |
102,008,794 |
108,371,473 |
|
|
Percent Change |
-3.55% |
6.24% |
Source: FY 1996-1998 Washington Department of Health Hospital Financial Data Year-end Reports and FY 1996-1999 Annual Budgets
How Hospitals Project Charity Care
Most hospitals’ FY 1999 projections were based on an analysis performed during their budget process. These analyses usually took into account the following factors:
How Hospitals Verify Need for Charity Care
Many hospitals state as part of their mission that they will serve the poor and underserved. Hospitals usually restrict their uncompensated health care programs to individuals unable to access entitlement programs such as Medical Assistance, unable to pay for medical obligations, or to those with limited financial resources.
These individuals generally include the recently unemployed; those employed but without employer-provided health insurance; those whose health insurance requires significant deductibles or co-payments; single parents; those recently or currently experiencing a divorce; transients or those without a permanent address; students, as well as spouses and their dependents; retired persons not yet eligible for Medicare; and the elderly who have limited or no Medicare supplemental insurance coverage.
As a result of RCW 70.170.060(5) every hospital has a charity care policy on file with the Department of Health which states the hospital’s procedure to determine and verify the income information supplied by persons applying for uncompensated health care services. The hospital’s charity care policy must be consistently and equitably applied so that no patient is denied uncompensated health care based upon race, creed, color, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, or source of income. Table 7 summarizes the steps that hospitals generally use to determine eligibility or verify applicant information.
Table 7: Summary of steps generally used by Washington hospitals to determine and verify applications for charity care
1) Hospital identifies any uninsured, underinsured, or self-pay patients.
2) Patient completes application/determination of eligibility form.
3) Patient completes financial statement that includes income, assets, and liabilities. Patient
supplies documentation of resources (e.g., w-2, pay stubs, tax forms), and outstanding obligations
(e.g., bank statements, loan documents).
4) Hospital considers federal poverty guidelines and familysize.
5) Hospital verifies third-party coverage, if indicated.
6) Designated hospital staff person interviews patient to assess the patient ability to pay in full;
ability to pay reasonable monthly installments; and qualification for charity care.
7) Hospital attempts to secure federal, state, or local funding, if appropriate.
8) After the hospital makes an initial determination of insufficient funds, income, and health care
benefits, the claim becomes eligible for final review, often by a committee composed of
administrative, business office, social services and nursing staff. Occasionally, hospital board
members serve on these committees.
How Hospitals Notify the Public About Charity Care
In general, hospitals provide information on charity care, as well as applications for assistance, at the time of registration, in their emergency rooms, and in fiscal services offices. These applications may also be included in a patient’s admission packet or with itemized bills that are mailed to a patient after discharge from the hospital. Additionally, hospitals provide applications for assistance upon a patient’s request. Many hospitals publish brochures or pamphlets describing the availability of charity care and identifying the criteria for qualification. Some hospitals offer individual counseling at the time of pre-admission or during the collection process and determine an individual’s lack of financial resources. Signs may be posted both in English and other languages commonly used in the hospital’s service area, explaining available charity care services. These signs are usually located in the admitting and emergency entrance areas of the hospital. Hospitals also publish annual notices in local or area newspapers describing charity care programs
From the beginning, hospitals have included service to the poor and underserved as part of their mission. Ever since hospital rate setting was suspended in law, in 1989, charity care expenditures grew steadily until 1993. From 1993 until 1997, that growth stabilized and declined. Charity care increased in 1998 for the first time in five years. Today, welfare reform, along with changes to Medicare and Medicaid entitlements and the continuing expansion of managed care organizations, are leading issues which may affect the future of charity care. Although welfare reform may ultimately increase the number of ineligible clients, and thus increase the need for charity care, representatives from the Department of Social and Health Services have indicated that the number of Medicaid clients has not decreased and is not expected to vary in the next biennium.

Medicaid coverage for children has increased and the Basic Health Plan has enrolled more clients with a current enrollment of 217,000 residents. There have also been changes in insurance policies aimed at providing guaranteed insurance portability and limitations on exclusions for pre-existing conditions. These combined factors most certainly contributed to the 1994 to 1997 declines in the amount of charity care being provided. However, to what degree and how this is true is not fully understood at this time. The Department has had to rely on complaints from the pubic regarding charity care denials to ensure compliance with the charity care laws. Beginning in 2000, the Hospital Licensing Division of DOH has agreed to include specific steps during the annual on-site licensing survey to support the charity care mandates. These include the following:
This cooperation will greatly enhance the Department’s oversight and enforcement of the charity care requirements.
As hospitals operate more and more like for-profit businesses, the debate about whether they warrant their tax-exempt status continues at both the state and federal level. Do hospitals provide sufficient benefits, including charity care, to their community and state to offset the loss of potential tax revenue? Private entities are also examining how charity care is being provided in their communities. For example, a Community Benefits Inventory Project, working with a group of representatives from hospitals and other organizations in Seattle and Spokane, has defined "community benefits" as charity care and community services. The participants working on this project have identified three objectives:
(1) Provide reliable information to inspire and support collaborative community benefits
activities among hospitals and delivery systems;
(2) Provide credible information to support the tax-exempt status of non-profit hospitals and
systems; and
(3) Support public education activities aimed at reinforcing the image of hospitals and systems as
community-oriented organizations
This information should be beneficial in the review of charity care. It will provide a much broader and possibly a truer picture of benefits provided by Washington hospitals. A final report is scheduled for publication in 2000.
The Legislature has provided the following mandate for the Department in RCW 70.170.010(3):
... access to health care is among the state’s goals and the provision of such care should be among the purposes of health care providers and facilities. Therefore, the legislature intends that charity care requirements and related enforcement provisions for hospitals be explicitly established.
Until such time as all residents of Washington have health insurance, the need for charity care will continue. Although the amount may vary from year to year, the Department will continue to collect and report the level of charity care provided in Washington hospitals.
APPENDIX 1
Charity Care as a Percentage of Gross Patient Revenue and Adjusted Revenue FY 1998
| TOTAL REVENUE, ADJUSTED REVENUE,AND AMOUNT OF CHARITY CARE AS A PERCENT OF TOTAL REVENUE AND ADJUSTED | ||||||||||
| REVENUE FOR WASHINGTON HOSPITALS WITH FISCAL YEARS ENDING DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1998 | ||||||||||
| REVENUE CATEGORIES (DOLLARS) | ||||||||||
|
(LESS) |
CHARITY CARE | |||||||||
|
(LESS) |
MEDICAL |
|||||||||
|
TOTAL |
MEDICARE |
ASSISTANCE # |
ADJUSTED |
CHARITY |
% of |
% of |
||||
|
HOSPITAL \ REGION |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
CARE |
TOT REV |
ADJ REV |
|||
| KING COUNTY | ||||||||||
| Auburn Regional Medical Center |
81,029,605 |
28,220,443 |
5,395,964 |
47,413,198 |
823,936 |
1.02% |
1.74% |
|||
| BHC Fairfax Hospital |
33,255,890 |
2,546,643 |
14,759,257 |
15,949,990 |
48,474 |
0.15% |
0.30% |
|||
| Children's Hospital & Medical Center |
196,339,709 |
4,165,528 |
59,109,478 |
133,064,703 |
5,855,124 |
2.98% |
4.40% |
|||
| Community Memorial Hospital |
17,208,370 |
6,235,899 |
1,254,272 |
9,718,199 |
70,977 |
0.41% |
0.73% |
|||
| Evergreen Hospital Medical Center |
136,127,966 |
47,401,765 |
5,704,154 |
83,022,047 |
1,719,339 |
1.26% |
2.07% |
|||
| Harborview Medical Center |
388,171,676 |
84,265,801 |
137,000,429 |
166,905,446 |
23,233,429 |
5.99% |
13.92% |
|||
| Highline Community Hospital |
119,127,335 |
49,297,798 |
14,038,329 |
55,791,208 |
1,559,895 |
1.31% |
2.80% |
|||
| Northwest Hospital |
190,052,478 |
89,055,610 |
6,125,667 |
94,871,201 |
2,158,057 |
1.14% |
2.27% |
|||
| Overlake Hospital Medical Center |
174,380,304 |
54,209,628 |
5,300,587 |
114,870,089 |
1,864,052 |
1.07% |
1.62% |
|||
| Providence Seattle Medical Center |
203,963,910 |
93,609,974 |
21,729,843 |
88,624,093 |
2,281,520 |
1.12% |
2.57% |
|||
| Regional Hospital for Resp/Complex Care |
9,890,753 |
6,718,859 |
739,767 |
2,432,127 |
25,594 |
0.26% |
1.05% |
|||
| Saint Francis Community Hospital |
84,754,977 |
16,547,680 |
5,328,139 |
62,879,158 |
805,355 |
0.95% |
1.28% |
|||
| Swedish Hospital Medical Center |
671,978,982 |
231,909,805 |
45,560,360 |
394,508,817 |
5,124,311 |
0.76% |
1.30% |
|||
| University of Washington Medical Center |
380,397,825 |
87,652,017 |
56,395,792 |
236,350,016 |
7,835,503 |
2.06% |
3.32% |
|||
| Valley Medical Center - Renton |
168,963,172 |
47,978,701 |
15,199,276 |
105,785,195 |
3,387,431 |
2.00% |
3.20% |
|||
| Vencor Hospital Seattle |
23,871,453 |
21,532,374 |
1,840,767 |
498,312 |
0 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|||
| Virginia Mason Medical Center |
619,129,863 |
183,614,009 |
22,790,323 |
412,725,531 |
1,699,802 |
0.27% |
0.41% |
|||
| West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital |
4,480,650 |
1,825,287 |
0 |
2,655,363 |
0 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|||
| KING COUNTY TOTALS |
3,503,124,918 |
1,056,787,821 |
418,272,404 |
2,028,064,693 |
58,492,799 |
1.67% |
2.88% |
|||
| PUGET SOUND REGION (Less King Co.) | ||||||||||
| Affiliated Health Services |
121,593,999 |
49,657,897 |
10,495,452 |
61,440,650 |
757,731 |
0.62% |
1.23% |
|||
| Cascade Valley Hospital |
29,088,455 |
5,203,449 |
1,852,267 |
22,032,739 |
143,701 |
0.49% |
0.65% |
|||
| Forks Community Hospital |
10,624,972 |
2,732,658 |
2,276,735 |
5,615,579 |
161,551 |
1.52% |
2.88% |
|||
| Good Samaritan Hospital |
145,105,490 |
52,802,870 |
14,855,146 |
77,447,474 |
2,739,903 |
1.89% |
3.54% |
|||
| Harrison Memorial Hospital |
109,088,035 |
52,373,857 |
11,124,655 |
45,589,523 |
1,911,135 |
1.75% |
4.19% |
|||
| Island Hospital |
38,817,690 |
14,595,701 |
2,127,821 |
22,094,168 |
137,607 |
0.35% |
0.62% |
|||
| Jefferson General Hospital |
20,139,196 |
10,645,487 |
2,360,985 |
7,132,724 |
285,593 |
1.42% |
4.00% |
|||
| Mary Bridge Children's Health Center |
52,685,167 |
103,002 |
22,418,295 |
30,163,870 |
631,621 |
1.20% |
2.09% |
|||
| Olympic Memorial Hospital |
57,554,022 |
31,533,409 |
5,826,909 |
20,193,704 |
396,486 |
0.69% |
1.96% |
|||
| Providence General Medical Center |
263,490,704 |
54,163,557 |
28,008,217 |
181,318,930 |
2,424,884 |
0.92% |
1.34% |
|||
| Puget Sound Hospital |
43,879,416 |
14,935,579 |
10,817,678 |
18,126,159 |
81,631 |
0.19% |
0.45% |
|||
| Saint Clare Hospital |
70,205,675 |
17,675,221 |
7,947,925 |
44,582,529 |
888,609 |
1.27% |
1.99% |
|||
| Saint Joseph Hospital - Bellingham |
154,306,658 |
61,102,722 |
21,205,588 |
71,998,348 |
3,433,289 |
2.22% |
4.77% |
|||
| Saint Joseph Medical Center - Tacoma |
296,237,721 |
87,083,424 |
22,743,407 |
186,410,890 |
1,886,483 |
0.64% |
1.01% |
|||
| Stevens Healthcare |
124,970,194 |
47,409,238 |
12,588,996 |
64,971,960 |
1,358,336 |
1.09% |
2.09% |
|||
| Tacoma General Hospital |
373,394,036 |
125,740,156 |
67,105,454 |
180,548,426 |
2,027,073 |
0.54% |
1.12% |
|||
| Valley General Hospital - Monroe |
25,009,796 |
5,160,695 |
2,074,960 |
17,774,141 |
85,227 |
0.34% |
0.48% |
|||
| Whidbey General Hospital |
33,760,926 |
17,043,537 |
2,230,992 |
14,486,397 |
125,228 |
0.37% |
0.86% |
|||
| PUGET SOUND REGION TOTALS |
1,969,952,152 |
649,962,459 |
248,061,482 |
1,071,928,211 |
19,476,088 |
0.99% |
1.82% |
|||
| SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON REGION | ||||||||||
| Capital Medical Center |
85,000,593 |
35,572,248 |
5,827,277 |
43,601,068 |
69,194 |
0.08% |
0.16% |
|||
| Grays Harbor Community Hospital |
76,542,526 |
36,118,953 |
10,934,334 |
29,489,239 |
326,553 |
0.43% |
1.11% |
|||
| Klickitat Valley Hospital |
6,267,833 |
1,986,629 |
1,223,046 |
3,058,158 |
12,995 |
0.21% |
0.42% |
|||
| Mark Reed Hospital |
3,110,001 |
1,095,631 |
590,251 |
1,424,119 |
24,938 |
0.80% |
1.75% |
|||
| Mason General Hospital |
27,735,002 |
14,424,413 |
4,463,136 |
8,847,453 |
105,046 |
0.38% |
1.19% |
|||
| Morton General Hospital |
8,126,354 |
1,919,018 |
2,291,489 |
3,915,847 |
11,413 |
0.14% |
0.29% |
|||
| Ocean Beach Hospital |
9,616,661 |
4,574,230 |
712,955 |
4,329,476 |
13,749 |
0.14% |
0.32% |
|||
| PeaceHealth Saint John Medical Center |
142,946,344 |
54,297,166 |
31,399,106 |
57,250,072 |
1,065,544 |
0.75% |
1.86% |
|||
| Providence Centralia Hospital |
66,321,578 |
31,684,188 |
11,935,637 |
22,701,753 |
994,847 |
1.50% |
4.38% |
|||
| Providence Saint Peter Hospital |
223,240,444 |
95,901,093 |
23,353,749 |
103,985,602 |
4,551,030 |
2.04% |
4.38% |
|||
| Skyline Hospital |
8,782,575 |
3,050,478 |
2,042,057 |
3,690,040 |
44,268 |
0.50% |
1.20% |
|||
| Southwest Medical Center |
248,175,772 |
87,381,842 |
20,529,523 |
140,264,407 |
2,803,842 |
1.13% |
2.00% |
|||
| Willapa Harbor Hospital |
7,301,015 |
3,928,209 |
788,556 |
2,584,250 |
24,300 |
0.33% |
0.94% |
|||
| SOUTHWEST WASH REGION TOTALS |
913,166,698 |
371,934,098 |
116,091,116 |
425,141,484 |
10,047,719 |
1.10% |
2.36% |
|||
| CENTRAL WASHINGTON REGION | ||||||||||
| Cascade Medical Center |
17,985,832 |
7,886,159 |
936,805 |
9,162,868 |
43,034 |
0.24% |
0.47% |
|||
| Central Washington Hospital |
89,172,231 |
40,184,057 |
14,660,268 |
34,327,906 |
996,478 |
1.12% |
2.90% |
|||
| Columbia Basin Hospital |
6,210,377 |
1,873,049 |
1,843,317 |
2,494,011 |
4,948 |
0.08% |
0.20% |
|||
| Coulee Community Hospital |
6,939,782 |
1,853,621 |
1,422,412 |
3,663,749 |
3,240 |
0.05% |
0.09% |
|||
| Kadlec Medical Center |
92,621,948 |
33,547,590 |
9,774,996 |
49,299,362 |
1,396,201 |
1.51% |
2.83% |
|||
| Kennewick General Hospital |
72,006,661 |
23,330,281 |
5,813,295 |
42,863,085 |
470,893 |
0.65% |
1.10% |
|||
| Kittitas Valley Hospital |
21,586,657 |
9,354,865 |
2,185,989 |
10,045,803 |
306,201 |
1.42% |
3.05% |
|||
| Lake Chelan Community Hospital |
8,578,242 |
3,130,262 |
1,642,233 |
3,805,747 |
66,287 |
0.77% |
1.74% |
|||
| Lourdes Counseling Center |
12,529,671 |
2,023,662 |
5,692,972 |
4,813,037 |
206,454 |
1.65% |
4.29% |
|||
| Lourdes Medical Center |
58,216,886 |
23,446,893 |
10,878,910 |
23,891,083 |
714,554 |
1.23% |
2.99% |
|||
| Mid Valley Hospital |
18,165,605 |
6,041,600 |
2,186,125 |
9,937,880 |
65,056 |
0.36% |
0.65% |
|||
| North Valley Hospital |
9,166,848 |
2,442,814 |
3,601,058 |
3,122,976 |
62,169 |
0.68% |
1.99% |
|||
| Okanogan-Douglas Hospital |
9,878,590 |
4,331,634 |
2,247,236 |
3,299,720 |
209,310 |
2.12% |
6.34% |
|||
| Prosser Memorial Hospital |
10,459,144 |
2,630,993 |
3,837,976 |
3,990,175 |
98,042 |
0.94% |
2.46% |
|||
| Providence Toppenish Hospital |
22,239,011 |
5,043,989 |
9,388,807 |
7,806,215 |
316,740 |
1.42% |
4.06% |
|||
| Providence Yakima Medical Center |
114,607,819 |
54,076,734 |
17,749,699 |
42,781,386 |
998,163 |
0.87% |
2.33% |
|||
| Quincy Valley Hospital |
5,726,501 |
1,069,753 |
1,384,491 |
3,272,257 |
4,732 |
0.08% |
0.14% |
|||
| Samaritan Hospital |
37,617,294 |
12,202,893 |
8,486,392 |
16,928,009 |
214,510 |
0.57% |
1.27% |
|||
| Sunnyside Community Hospital |
27,736,333 |
8,902,830 |
7,519,153 |
11,314,350 |
69,210 |
0.25% |
0.61% |
|||
| Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital |
112,087,856 |
40,167,509 |
24,473,684 |
47,446,663 |
2,040,011 |
1.82% |
4.30% |
|||
| CENTRAL WASH REGION TOTALS |
753,533,288 |
283,541,188 |
135,725,818 |
334,266,282 |
8,286,233 |
1.10% |
2.48% |
|||
| EASTERN WASHINGTON REGION | ||||||||||
| Dayton General Hospital |
3,023,822 |
1,551,854 |
248,847 |
1,223,121 |
8,590 |
0.28% |
0.70% |
|||
| Deaconess Medical Center |
233,502,874 |
82,312,527 |
45,142,504 |
106,047,843 |
5,141,853 |
2.20% |
4.85% |
|||
| Deer Park Health Center & Hospital |
5,030,735 |
1,601,828 |
1,522,068 |
1,906,839 |
30,826 |
0.61% |
1.62% |
|||
| East Adams Rural Hospital |
3,227,007 |
1,577,722 |
515,805 |
1,133,480 |
0 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
|||
| Ferry County Memorial Hospital |
3,514,679 |
1,057,363 |
834,597 |
1,622,719 |
19,646 |
0.56% |
1.21% |
|||
| Garfield County Memorial Hospital |
1,828,264 |
349,435 |
514,075 |
964,754 |
929 |
0.05% |
0.10% |
|||
| Holy Family Hospital |
119,290,710 |
56,066,326 |
16,730,144 |
46,494,240 |
834,087 |
0.70% |
1.79% |
|||
| Lincoln Hospital |
10,260,417 |
3,932,485 |
2,473,112 |
3,854,820 |
26,827 |
0.26% |
0.70% |
|||
| Mount Carmel Hospital |
19,572,238 |
8,726,611 |
3,009,861 |
7,835,766 |
95,290 |
0.49% |
1.22% |
|||
| Newport Community Hospital |
9,934,127 |
3,173,466 |
3,529,097 |
3,231,564 |
79,269 |
0.80% |
2.45% |
|||
| Odesssa Memorial Hospital |
2,263,915 |
678,119 |
438,285 |
1,147,511 |
5,616 |
0.25% |
0.49% |
|||
| Othello Community Hospital |
8,687,708 |
1,606,593 |
3,091,825 |
3,989,290 |
195,942 |
2.26% |
4.91% |
|||
| Pullman Memorial Hospital |
16,865,976 |
3,896,500 |
429,253 |
12,540,223 |
81,757 |
0.48% |
0.65% |
|||
| Sacred Heart Medical Center |
446,298,042 |
138,238,872 |
70,902,150 |
237,157,020 |
2,987,942 |
0.67% |
1.26% |
|||
| Saint Joseph's Hospital of Chewelah |
10,724,077 |
3,645,064 |
2,955,042 |
4,123,971 |
92,351 |
0.86% |
2.24% |
|||
| Saint Luke's Rehabilatation Institute |
29,496,916 |
12,661,205 |
3,444,337 |
13,391,374 |
132,388 |
0.45% |
0.99% |
|||
| Saint Mary Medical Center |
81,859,983 |
36,824,537 |
7,157,379 |
37,878,067 |
792,810 |
0.97% |
2.09% |
|||
| Tri-State Memorial Hospital |
22,516,964 |
13,166,927 |
1,652,268 |
7,697,769 |
70,898 |
0.31% |
0.92% |
|||
| Valley Hospital and Medical Center |
59,202,785 |
27,447,278 |
5,419,685 |
26,335,822 |
1,101,700 |
1.86% |
4.18% |
|||
| Walla Walla General Hospital |
46,493,799 |
15,698,083 |
4,345,493 |
26,450,223 |
339,259 |
0.73% |
1.28% |
|||
| Whitman Community Hospital |
10,136,164 |
5,141,751 |
564,189 |
4,430,224 |
30,654 |
0.30% |
0.69% |
|||
| EASTERN WASH REGION TOTALS |
1,143,731,202 |
419,354,546 |
174,920,016 |
549,456,640 |
12,068,634 |
1.06% |
2.20% |
|||
| STATEWIDE TOTALS |
8,283,508,258 |
2,781,580,112 |
1,093,070,836 |
4,408,857,310 |
108,371,473 |
1.31% |
2.46% |
|||
| # Includes Medicaid and other state-sponsored programs | ||||||||||
| Source: Washington Department of Health Hospital Year-end Reports | ||||||||||
APPENDIX 2
Rural Definitions – DOH Office of Rural Health
"Rural" means (a) geographic areas outside the boundaries of Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA). Rural areas of three general types reflecting the relative isolation from principal health care delivery sites experienced by the resident population including:
1) "frontier areas", which are counties in rural areas that have a population density of 6 people per square mile or less:
2) "remote rural areas", which are rural areas that are more than 30 minutes average travel time from an urban place of 10,000 population or more and are not within a frontier area, and
3) "less remote rural", which are rural areas that are 30 minutes or less average travel time from an urban place of 10,000 population or more and are not within a frontier area.
Charity Care as a Percentage of Total Revenue and Adjusted Revenue for Rural Hospitals
| TOTAL REVENUE, ADJUSTED REVENUE,AND AMOUNT OF CHARITY CARE AS A PERCENT OF TOTAL REVENUE AND ADJUSTED | |||||||||||
| REVENUE FOR RURAL WASHINGTON HOSPITALS WITH FISCAL YEARS ENDING DURING CALENDAR YEAR 1998 | |||||||||||
| REVENUE CATEGORIES (DOLLARS) | |||||||||||
|
(LESS) |
CHARITY CARE | ||||||||||
|
(LESS) |
MEDICAL |
||||||||||
|
TOTAL |
MEDICARE |
ASSISTANCE # |
ADJUSTED |
CHARITY |
% of |
% of |
|||||
|
HOSPITAL \ REGION |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
REVENUE |
CARE |
TOT REV |
ADJ REV |
||||
| FRONTIER (N=8) | |||||||||||
| Dayton General Hospital |
3,023,822 |
1,551,854 |
248,847 |
1,223,121 |
8,590 |
0.28% |
0.70% |
||||
| Ferry County Memorial Hospital |
3,514,679 |
1,057,363 |
834,597 |
1,622,719 |
19,646 |
0.56% |
1.21% |
||||
| Garfield County Memorial Hospital |
1,828,264 |
349,435 |
514,075 |
964,754 |
929 |
0.05% |
0.10% |
||||
| Lincoln Hospital |
10,260,417 |
3,932,485 |
2,473,112 |
3,854,820 |
26,827 |
0.26% |
0.70% |
||||
| Mid Valley Hospital |
18,165,605 |
6,041,600 |
2,186,125 |
9,937,880 |
65,056 |
0.36% |
0.65% |
||||
| North Valley Hospital |
9,166,848 |
2,442,814 |
3,601,058 |
3,122,976 |
62,169 |
0.68% |
1.99% |
||||
| Odesssa Memorial Hospital |
2,263,915 |
678,119 |
438,285 |
1,147,511 |
5,616 |
0.25% |
0.49% |
||||
| Okanogan-Douglas Hospital |
9,878,590 |
4,331,634 |
2,247,236 |
3,299,720 |
209,310 |
2.12% |
6.34% |
||||
|
TOTAL FRONTIER RURAL |
58,102,140 |
20,385,304 |
12,543,335 |
25,173,501 |
398,143 |
0.69% |
1.58% |
||||
| REMOTE RURAL (N=19) | |||||||||||
| Cascade Medical Center |
17,985,832 |
7,886,159 |
936,805 |
9,162,868 |
43,034 |
0.24% |
0.47% |
||||
| Coulee Community Hospital |
6,939,782 |
1,853,621 |
1,422,412 |
3,663,749 |
3,240 |
0.05% |
0.09% |
||||
| East Adams Rural Hospital |
3,227,007 |
1,577,722 |
515,805 |
1,133,480 |
0 |
0.00% |
0.00% |
||||
| Forks Community Hospital |
10,624,972 |
2,732,658 |
2,276,735 |
5,615,579 |
161,551 |
1.52% |
2.88% |
||||
| Jefferson General Hospital |
20,139,196 |
10,645,487 |
2,360,985 |
7,132,724 |
285,593 |
1.42% |
4.00% |
||||
| Klickitat Valley Hospital |
6,267,833 |
1,986,629 |
1,223,046 |
3,058,158 |
12,995 |
0.21% |
0.42% |
||||
| Lake Chelan Community Hospital |
8,578,242 |
3,130,262 |
1,642,233 |
3,805,747 |
66,287 |
0.77% |
1.74% |
||||
| Morton General Hospital |
8,126,354 |
1,919,018 |
2,291,489 |
3,915,847 |
11,413 |
0.14% |
0.29% |
||||
| Mount Carmel Hospital |
19,572,238 |
8,726,611 |
3,009,861 |
7,835,766 |
95,290 |
0.49% |
1.22% |
||||
| Newport Community Hospital |
9,934,127 |
3,173,466 |
3,529,097 |
3,231,564 |
79,269 |
0.80% |
2.45% |
||||
| Ocean Beach Hospital |
9,616,661 |
4,574,230 |
712,955 |
4,329,476 |
13,749 |
0.14% |
0.32% |
||||
| Othello Community Hospital |
8,687,708 |
1,606,593 |
3,091,825 |
3,989,290 |
195,942 |
2.26% |
4.91% |
||||
| Prosser Memorial Hospital |
10,459,144 |
2,630,993 |
3,837,976 |
3,990,175 |
98,042 |
0.94% |
2.46% |
||||
| Quincy Valley Hospital |
5,726,501 |
1,069,753 |
1,384,491 |
3,272,257 |
4,732 |
0.08% |
0.14% |
||||
| Saint Joseph's Hospital of Chewelah |
10,724,077 |
3,645,064 |
2,955,042 |
4,123,971 |
92,351 |
0.86% |
2.24% |
||||
| Skyline Hospital |
8,782,575 |
3,050,478 |
2,042,057 |
3,690,040 |
44,268 |
0.50% |
1.20% |
||||
| Sunnyside Community Hospital |
27,736,333 |
8,902,830 |
7,519,153 |
11,314,350 |
69,210 |
0.25% |
0.61% |
||||
| Whidbey General Hospital |
33,760,926 |
17,043,537 |
2,230,992 |
14,486,397 |
125,228 |
0.37% |
0.86% |
||||
| Willapa Harbor Hospital |
7,301,015 |
3,928,209 |
788,556 |
2,584,250 |
24,300 |
0.33% |
0.94% |
||||
|
TOTAL REMOTE RURAL |
234,190,523 |
90,083,320 |
43,771,515 |
100,335,688 |
1,426,494 |
0.61% |
1.42% |
||||
| LESS REMOTE RURAL (N=17) | |||||||||||
| Affiliated Health Services |
121,593,999 |
49,657,897 |
10,495,452 |
61,440,650 |
757,731 |
0.62% |
1.23% |
||||
| Central Washington Hospital |
89,172,231 |
40,184,057 |
14,660,268 |
34,327,906 |
996,478 |
1.12% |
2.90% |
||||
| Columbia Basin Hospital |
6,210,377 |
1,873,049 |
1,843,317 |
2,494,011 |
4,948 |
0.08% |
0.20% |
||||
| Grays Harbor Community Hospital |
76,542,526 |
36,118,953 |
10,934,334 |
29,489,239 |
326,553 |
0.43% |
1.11% |
||||
| Island Hospital |
38,817,690 |
14,595,701 |
2,127,821 |
22,094,168 |
137,607 |
0.35% |
0.62% |
||||
| Kittitas Valley Hospital |
21,586,657 |
9,354,865 |
2,185,989 |
10,045,803 |
306,201 |
1.42% |
3.05% |
||||
| Mark Reed Hospital |
3,110,001 |
1,095,631 |
590,251 |
1,424,119 |
24,938 |
0.80% |
1.75% |
||||
| Mason General Hospital |
27,735,002 |
14,424,413 |
4,463,136 |
8,847,453 |
105,046 |
0.38% |
1.19% |
||||
| Olympic Memorial Hospital |
57,554,022 |
31,533,409 |
5,826,909 |
20,193,704 |
396,486 |
0.69% |
1.96% |
||||
| PeaceHealth Saint John Medical Center |
142,946,344 |
54,297,166 |
31,399,106 |
57,250,072 |
1,065,544 |
0.75% |
1.86% |
||||
| Providence Centralia Hospital |
66,321,578 |
31,684,188 |
11,935,637 |
22,701,753 |
994,847 |
1.50% |
4.38% |
||||
| Pullman Memorial Hospital |
16,865,976 |
3,896,500 |
429,253 |
12,540,223 |
81,757 |
0.48% |
0.65% |
||||
| Saint Mary Medical Center |
81,859,983 |
36,824,537 |
7,157,379 |
37,878,067 |
792,810 |
0.97% |
2.09% |
||||
| Samaritan Hospital |
37,617,294 |
12,202,893 |
8,486,392 |
16,928,009 |
214,510 |
0.57% |
1.27% |
||||
| Tri-State Memorial Hospital |
22,516,964 |
13,166,927 |
1,652,268 |
7,697,769 |
70,898 |
0.31% |
0.92% |
||||
| Walla Walla General Hospital |
46,493,799 |
15,698,083 |
4,345,493 |
26,450,223 |
339,259 |
0.73% |
1.28% |
||||
| Whitman Community Hospital |
10,136,164 |
5,141,751 |
564,189 |
4,430,224 |
30,654 |
0.30% |
0.69% |
||||
|
TOTAL LESS REMOTE RURAL |
867,080,607 |
371,750,020 |
119,097,194 |
376,233,393 |
6,646,267 |
0.77% |
1.77% |
||||
| RURAL HOSPITAL TOTAL (N=44) |
1,159,373,270 |
482,218,644 |
175,412,044 |
501,742,582 |
8,470,904 |
0.73% |
1.69% |
||||
| # Includes Medicaid and other state-sponsored programs | |||||||||||
| Source: Washington Department of Health Hospital Year-end Reports | |||||||||||
APPENDIX 3
Charity Care Provided and Projected:
Actual FY 1998 and Estimated FY 1999
|
1998 |
1999 |
||
| Hospital |
City |
Actual |
Estimated |
| Affiliated Health Services | Mount Vernon |
757,731 |
899,092 |
| Auburn Regional Medical Center | Auburn |
823,936 |
999,293 |
| BHC Fairfax Hospital | Kirkland |
48,474 |
45,539 |
| Capital Medical Center | Olympia |
69,194 |
96,466 |
| Cascade Medical Center | Leavenworth |
43,034 |
9,500 |
| Cascade Valley Hospital | Arlington |
143,701 |
169,570 |
| Central Washington Hospital | Wenatchee |
996,478 |
1,022,345 |
| Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center | Seattle |
5,855,124 |
6,725,000 |
| Columbia Basin Hospital | Ephrata |
4,948 |
10,000 |
| Community Memorial Hospital | Enumclaw |
70,977 |
82,517 |
| Coulee Community Hospital | Grand Coulee |
3,240 |
3,900 |
| Dayton General Hospital | Dayton |
8,590 |
4,000 |
| Deaconess Medical Center | Spokane |
5,141,853 |
3,457,457 |
| Deer Park Health Center & Hospital | Deer Park |
30,826 |
40,610 |
| East Adams Rural Hospital | Ritzville |
0 |
0 |
| Evergreen Hospital Medical Center | Kirkland |
1,719,339 |
2,191,437 |
| Ferry County Memorial Hospital | Republic |
19,646 |
47,615 |
| Forks Community Hospital | Forks |
161,551 |
242,119 |
| Garfield County Memorial Hospital | Pomeroy |
929 |
650 |
| Good Samaritan Hospital | Puyallup |
2,739,903 |
3,000,000 |
| Grays Harbor Community Hospital | Aberdeen |
326,553 |
750,000 |
| Harborview Medical Center | Seattle |
23,233,429 |
28,060,383 |
| Harrison Memorial Hospital | Bremerton |
1,911,135 |
1,962,234 |
| Highline Community Hospital | Seattle |
1,559,895 |
2,095,615 |
| Holy Family Hospital | Spokane |
834,087 |
856,476 |
| Island Hospital | Anacortes |
137,607 |
206,800 |
| Jefferson General Hospital | Port Townsend |
285,593 |
350,000 |
| Kadlec Medical Center | Richland |
1,396,201 |
1,343,500 |
| Kennewick General Hospital | Kennewick |
470,893 |
516,000 |
| Kittitas Valley Hospital | Ellensburg |
306,201 |
344,000 |
| Klickitat Valley Hosp | Goldendale |
12,995 |
19,000 |
| Lake Chelan Community Hospital | Chelan |
66,287 |
56,126 |
| Lincoln Hospital | Davenport |
26,827 |
95,570 |
| Lourdes Counseling Center (Carondelet) | Richland |
206,454 |
252,347 |
| Lourdes Medical Center (Our Lady of Lourdes) | Pasco |
714,554 |
710,387 |
| Mark Reed Mem Hospital | McCleary |
24,938 |
29,672 |
| Mary Bridge Children's Health Center | Tacoma |
631,621 |
642,389 |
| Mason General Hospital | Shelton |
105,046 |
141,972 |
| Mid-Valley Hospital | Omak |
65,056 |
100,000 |
| Morton General Hospital | Morton |
11,413 |
22,400 |
| Mount Carmel Hospital | Colville |
95,290 |
70,000 |
| Newport Community Hospital | Newport |
79,269 |
77,549 |
| North Valley Hospital | Tonasket |
62,169 |
71,488 |
| Northwest Hospital | Seattle |
2,158,057 |
2,006,442 |
| Ocean Beach Hospital | Ilwaco |
13,749 |
18,144 |
| Odessa Memorial Hospital | Odessa |
5,616 |
5,563 |
| Okanogan-Douglas Hospital | Brewster |
209,310 |
122,767 |
| Olympic Memorial Hospital | Port Angeles |
396,486 |
397,618 |
| Othello Community Hospital | Othello |
195,942 |
100,000 |
| Overlake Hospital Medical Center | Bellevue |
1,864,052 |
1,870,707 |
| PeaceHealth Saint John Medical Center | Longview |
1,065,544 |
1,466,600 |
| Prosser Memorial Hospital | Prosser |
98,042 |
88,703 |
| Providence Centralia Hospital | Centralia |
994,847 |
1,487,000 |
| Providence General Medical Center | Everett |
2,424,884 |
2,459,000 |
| Providence Saint Peter Hospital | Olympia |
4,551,030 |
4,690,000 |
| Providence Seattle Medical Center | Seattle |
2,281,520 |
2,410,000 |
| Providence Toppenish Hospital | Toppenish |
316,740 |
424,000 |
| Providence Yakima Hospital | Yakima |
998,163 |
1,257,000 |
| Puget Sound Hospital | Tacoma |
81,631 |
571,346 |
| Pullman Memorial Hospital | Pullman |
81,757 |
114,409 |
| Quincy Valley Hospital | Quincy |
4,732 |
5,806 |
| Regional Hosp for Respiratory Care | Seattle |
25,594 |
144,568 |
| Sacred Heart Medical Center | Spokane |
2,987,942 |
3,090,000 |
| Saint Clare Hospital | Tacoma |
888,609 |
854,049 |
| Saint Francis Community Hospital | Federal Way |
805,355 |
932,037 |
| Saint Joseph Hospital | Bellingham |
3,433,289 |
3,029,492 |
| Saint Joseph Medical Center | Tacoma |
1,886,483 |
2,615,657 |
| Saint Joseph's Hospital | Chewelah |
92,351 |
101,097 |
| Saint Luke's Rehabilitation Institute | Spokane |
132,388 |
118,455 |
| Saint Mary Medical Center | Walla Walla |
792,810 |
822,099 |
| Samaritan Hospital | Moses Lake |
214,510 |
214,500 |
| Skyline Hospital | White Salmon |
44,268 |
27,670 |
| Southwest Wash Medical Center | Vancouver |
2,803,842 |
3,965,045 |
| Stevens Memorial Hospital | Edmonds |
1,358,336 |
1,500,000 |
| Sunnyside Community Hospital | Sunnyside |
69,210 |
100,000 |
| Swedish Hosp Medical Center | Seattle |
5,124,311 |
6,371,313 |
| Tacoma General Hospital | Tacoma |
2,027,073 |
1,923,628 |
| Tri-State Memorial Hospital | Clarkston |
70,898 |
100,000 |
| University of Washington Medical Center | Seattle |
7,835,503 |
3,639,756 |
| Valley General Hospital | Monroe |
85,227 |
87,978 |
| Valley Hospital Medical Center | Spokane |
1,101,700 |
833,829 |
| Valley Medical Center | Renton |
3,387,431 |
2,500,000 |
| Vencor Hospital Seattle | Seattle |
0 |
296,840 |
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | Seattle |
1,699,802 |
1,722,000 |
| Walla Walla General Hospital | Walla Walla |
339,259 |
350,413 |
| West Seattle Psychiatric Hospital | Seattle |
0 |
57,629 |
| Whidbey General Hospital | Coupeville |
125,228 |
139,910 |
| Whitman Community Hospital | Colfax |
30,654 |
40,000 |
| Willapa Harbor Hospital | South Bend |
24,300 |
45,000 |
| Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital | Yakima |
2,040,011 |
2,138,055 |
|
STATEWIDE TOTALS |
108,371,473 |
115,077,143 |
|
APPENDIX 4
Charity Care Laws RCW 70.170.060 and Rules WAC 246-451
RCW 70.170.060 Charity care--Prohibited and required hospital practices and policies--Rules--Department to monitor and report.
(1) No hospital or its medical staff shall adopt or maintain admission practices or policies which result in:(a) A significant reduction in the proportion of patients who have no third-party coverage and who are unable to pay for hospital services;
(b) A significant reduction in the proportion of individuals admitted for inpatient hospital services for which payment is, or is likely to be, less than the anticipated charges for or costs of such services; or
(c) The refusal to admit patients who would be expected to require unusually costly or prolonged treatment for reasons other than those related to the appropriateness of the care available at the hospital.
(2) No hospital shall adopt or maintain practices or policies which would deny access to emergency care based on ability to pay. No hospital which maintains an emergency department shall transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition or who is in active labor unless the transfer is performed at the request of the patient or is due to the limited medical resources of the transferring hospital. Hospitals must follow reasonable procedures in making transfers to other hospitals including confirmation of acceptance of the transfer by the receiving hospital.
(3) The department shall develop definitions by rule, as appropriate, for subsection (1) of this section and, with reference to federal requirements, subsection (2) of this section. The department shall monitor hospital compliance with subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The department shall report to the legislature and the governor on hospital compliance with these requirements and shall report individual instances of possible noncompliance to the state attorney general or the appropriate federal agency.
(4) The department shall establish and maintain by rule, consistent with the definition of charity care in RCW 70.170.020, the following:
(a) Uniform procedures, data requirements, and criteria for identifying patients receiving charity care;
(b) A definition of residual bad debt including reasonable and uniform standards for collection procedures to be used in efforts to collect the unpaid portions of hospital charges that are the patient's responsibility.
(5) For the purpose of providing charity care, each hospital shall develop, implement, and maintain a charity care policy which, consistent with subsection (1) of this section, shall enable people below the federal poverty level access to appropriate hospital based medical services, and a sliding fee schedule for determination of discounts from charges for persons who qualify for such discounts by January 1, 1990. The department shall develop specific guidelines to assist hospitals in setting sliding fee schedules required by this section. All persons with family income below one hundred percent of the federal poverty standard shall be deemed charity care patients for the full amount- of hospital charges, provided that such persons are not eligible for other private or public health coverage sponsorship. Persons who may be eligible for charity care shall be notified by the hospital.
(6) Each hospital shall make every reasonable effort to determine the existence or nonexistence of private or public sponsorship which might cover in full or part the charges for care rendered by the hospital to a patient; the family income of the patient as classified under federal poverty income guidelines; and the eligibility of the patient for charity care as defined in this chapter and in accordance with hospital policy. An initial determination of sponsorship status shall precede collection efforts directed at the patient.
(7) The department shall monitor the distribution of charity care among hospitals, with reference to factors such as relative need for charity care in hospital service areas and trends in private and public health coverage. The department shall report to the legislature and executive any problems in distribution which are in contradiction of the intent of this chapter. The report shall include an assessment of the effects of the provisions of this chapter on access to hospital and health care services, as well as an evaluation of the contribution of all purchasers of care to hospital charity care.
(8) The department shall issue a report on the subjects addressed in this section at least annually, with the first report due on July 1, 1990. [1989 lst ex. s. c 9 § 506.1
Chapter 246-453 WAC
HOSPITAL CHARITY CARE
Last Update: 6/l/94
WAC 246-453-001 Purpose. This chapter is adopted by the Washington state department of health to implement the provisions of chapter 70.170 RCW. These sections relate to hospital policies for charity care, bad debt and emergency medical care, including admission practices, the compilation and measurement of the level of charity care services provided by each hospital, and penalties for violation of these provisions.
[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.070 [43.70] and 70.170 RCW. 9412-089, S 246-453-001, filed 6/l/94, effective 7/2/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), § 246-453-001, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.70.040. 91-02-049 (Order 121), recodified as S 246-453,-001, filed 12/27/90, effective 1/31/91. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.39 RCW. 85-01-007 (Order 84-07, Resolution No. 84-07), § 26114-010, filed 12/7/84.]
WAC 246-453-010 Definitions. As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise,
(1) "Department" means the Washington state department of health created by chapter 43.70 RCW;
(2) "Hospital" means any health care institution which is required to qualify for a license under RCW 70.41.020(2); or as a psychiatric hospital under chapter 71.12 RCW;
(3) "Manual" means the Washington State Department of Health Accounting and Reporting Manual for Hospitals, adopted under WAC 246-454-020;
(4) "Indigent persons" means those patients who have exhausted any third-party sources, including Medicare and Medicaid, and whose income is equal to or below 200% of the federal poverty standards, adjusted for family size or is otherwise not sufficient to enable them to pay for the care or to pay deductibles or coinsurance amounts required by a third-party payor;
(5) "Charity care" means appropriate hospital-based medical services provided to indigent persons, as defined in this section;
(6) "Bad debts" means uncollectible amounts, excluding contractual adjustments, arising from failure to pay by patients whose care has not been classified as charity care;
(7) "Appropriate hospital-based medical services" means those hospital services which are reasonably calculated to diagnose, correct, cure, alleviate, or prevent the worsening of conditions that endanger life, or cause suffering or pain, or result in illness or infirmity, or threaten to cause or aggravate a handicap, or cause physical deformity or malfunction, and there is no other equally effective more conservative or substantially less costly course of treatment available or suitable for the person requesting the service. For purpose of this section, "course of treatment" may include mere observation or, where appropriate, no treatment at all;
(8) "Medical staff" means physicians, dentists, nurses, and other professional individuals who have admitting privileges to the hospital, and may also participate as members of the medical staff committees, serve as officers of the medical staff, and serve as directors or chiefs of hospital departments;
(9) "Third-party coverage" and "third-party sponsorship" means an obligation on the part of an insurance company or governmental program which contracts with hospitals and patients to pay for the care of covered patients and services, and may include settlements, judgments, or awards actually received patient has received hospital services;
(10) "Unusually costly or prolonged treatment" means those services or combinations of services which exceed two standard deviations above the average charge, and/or three standard deviations above the average length of stay, as determined by the department's discharge data base;
(11) "Emergency care or emergency services" means services provided for care related to an emergency medical or mental condition;
(12) "Emergency department" and "emergency room" means that portion of the hospital facility organized for the purpose of providing emergency care or emergency services;
(13) "Emergency medical condition" means a medical condition manifesting itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including severe pain, such that the absence of immediate medical attention could reasonably be expected to result in:
(a) Placing the health of the individual (or, with respect to a pregnant woman, the health of the woman or her unborn child) in serious jeopardy;
(b) Serious impairment of bodily functions;
(c) Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. With respect to a pregnant woman who is having contractions the term shall mean:
(d) That there is inadequate time to effect a safe transfer to another hospital before delivery; or
(e) That transfer may pose a threat to the health or safety of the woman or the unborn child;
(14) "Responsible party" means that individual who is responsible for the payment of any hospital charges which are not subject to third-party sponsorship;
(15) "Limited medical resources" means the nonavailability of services or medical expertise which are required or are expected to be required for the appropriate diagnosis, treatment, or stabilization per federal requirements of an individual’s medical or mental situation;
(16) "Publicly available" means posted or prominently displayed within public areas of the hospital, and provided to the individual in writing and explained, at the time that the hospital requests information from the responsible party with regard to the availability of any third-party coverage, in any language spoken by more than ten percent of the population in the hospitals service area, and interpreted for other non-English speaking or limited English speaking or other patients who can not read or understand the writing and explanation;
(17) "Income" means total cash receipts before taxes derived from wages and salaries, welfare payments, Social Security payments, Strike benefits, unemployment or disability benefits, child Support, alimony, and net earnings from business and investment activities paid to the individual;
(18) "Family" means a group of two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together; all such related persons are considered as members of one family;
(19) "Initial determination of sponsorship status" means an indication, pending verification, that the services provided by the hospital may or may not be covered by third party sponsorship, or an indication from the responsible party, pending verification, that he or she may meet the criteria for designation as an indigent person qualifying for charity care; and
(20) "Final determination of sponsorship status" means the verification of third party coverage or lack of third party coverage, as evidenced by payment received from the third party sponsor or denial of payment by the alleged third party sponsor, and verification of the responsible party’s qualification for classification as an indigent person, subsequent to the completion of any appeals to which the responsible party may be entitled and which on their merits have a reasonable chance of achieving third party sponsorship in full or in part.
[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.070 [43.701 and 70.170 RCW. 9412-089, S 246-453-010, filed 6/l/94, effective 7/2/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S 246-453-010, filed
2/14/91, effective 3/17/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.70.040. 91-02-049 (Order 121), recodified as S 246-453-010, filed 12/27/90, effective 1/31/91. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.39 RCW. 85-01-007 (Order 84-07, Resolution No. 84-07), S 26114-020, filed 12/7/84.1
WAC 246-453-020 Uniform procedures for the identification of indigent persons. For the purpose of identifying those patients that will be classified as indigent persons, all hospitals shall adopt and implement the following procedures:
(1) The initiation of collection efforts directed at the responsible party shall be precluded pending an initial determination of sponsorship status, provided that the responsible party is cooperative with the hospitals efforts to reach an initial determination of sponsorship status;
(a) Collection efforts shall include any demand for payment or transmission of account documents or information which is not clearly identified as being intended solely for the purpose of transmitting information to the responsible party;
(b) The initial determination of sponsorship status shall be completed at the time of admission or as soon as possible following the initiation of services to the patient;
(c) If the initial determination of sponsorship status indicates that the responsible party may meet the criteria for classification as an indigent person, as described in WAC 246-453040, collection efforts directed at the responsible party will be precluded pending a final determination of that classification, provided that the responsible party is cooperative with the hospital’s reasonable efforts to reach a final determination of sponsorship status;
(d) During the pendency of the initial determination of sponsorship status and/or the final determination of the applicability of indigent person criteria, hospitals may pursue reimbursement from any third-party coverage that may be identified to the hospital;
(e) The requirements of this subsection shall not apply to clinics operated by disproportionate share hospitals, as defined and identified by the department of social and health services, medical assistance services, provided that patients are advised of the availability of charity care at the time that services are provided and when presented with a request for payment.
(2) Notice shall be made publicly available that charges for services provided to those persons meeting the criteria established within WAC 246-453-040 may be waived or reduced.
(3) Any responsible party who has been initially determined to meet the criteria identified within WAC 246-453-040 shall be provided with at least fourteen calendar days or such time as the person's medical condition may require, or such time as may reasonably be necessary to secure and to present documentation as described within WAC 246-453-030 prior to receiving a final determination of sponsorship status.
(4) Hospitals must make every reasonable effort to determine the existence or nonexistence of third-party sponsorship that might cover in full or in part the charges for services provided to each patient.
(5) Hospitals may require potential indigent persons to use an application process attesting to the accuracy of the information provided to the hospital for purposes of determining the person's qualification for charity care sponsorship. Hospitals may not impose application procedures for charity care sponsorship which place an unreasonable burden upon the responsible party, taking into account any physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory deficiencies or language barriers which may hinder the responsible party's capability of complying with the application procedures. The failure of a responsible party to reasonably complete appropriate application procedures shall be sufficient grounds for the hospital to initiate collection efforts directed at the patient.
(6) Hospitals may not require deposits from those responsible parties meeting the criteria identified within WAC 246-453-040 (1) or (2), as indicated through an initial determination of sponsorship status.
(7) Hospitals must notify persons applying for charity care sponsorship of their final determination of sponsorship status within fourteen calendar days of receiving information in accordance with WAC 246-453-030; such notification must include a determination of the amount for which the responsible party will be held financially accountable.
(8) In the event that the hospital denies the responsible party's application for charity care sponsorship, the hospital notify the responsible party of the denial and the basis for denial.
(9) All responsible parties denied charity care sponsorship under WAC 246-453-040 (1) or (2) shall be provided with, and notified of, an appeals procedure that enables them to correct any deficiencies in documentation or request review of the denial and results in review of the determination by the hospitals chief financial officer or equivalent.
(a) Responsible parties shall be notified that they have thirty calendar days within which to request an appeal of the final determination of sponsorship status. Within the first fourteen days of this period, the hospital may not refer the account at issue to an external collection agency. After the fourteen day period, if no appeal has been filed, the hospital may initiate collection activities.
(b) If the hospital has initiated collection activities and discovers an appeal has been filed, they shall cease collection efforts until the appeal is finalized.
(c) In the event that the hospitals final decision upon appeal affirms the previous denial of charity care designation under the criteria described in WAC 246-453-040 (1) or (2), the responsible party and the department of health shall be notified in writing of the decision and the basis for the decision, and the department of health shall be provided with copies of documentation upon which the decision was based.
(d) The department will review the instances of denials of charity care. In the event of an inappropriate denial of charity care, the department may seek penalties as provided in RCW 70.170.070.
(10) Hospitals should make every reasonable effort to reach initial and final determinations of charity care designation in a timely manner; however, hospitals shall make those designations at any time upon learning of facts or receiving documentation, as described in WAC 246-453-030, indicating that the responsible party's income is equal to or below two hundred percent of the federal poverty standard as adjusted for family size. The timing of reaching a final determination of charity care status shall have no bearing on the identification of charity care deductions from revenue as distinct from bad debts.
(11) In the event that a responsible party pays a portion or all of the charges related to appropriate hospital-based medical care services, and is subsequently found to have met the charity care criteria at the time that services were provided, any payments in excess of the amount determined to be appropriate in accordance with WAC 246-453-040 shall be refunded to the patient within thirty days of achieving the charity dare designation.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S
246-453-020, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91.1
WAC 246-453-030 Data requirements for the identification of indigent persons. (1) For the purpose of reaching an initial determination of sponsorship status, hospitals shall rely upon
information provided orally by the responsible party. The hospital may require the responsible party to sign a statement attesting to the accuracy of the information provided to the hospital for purposes of the initial determination of sponsorship status.
(2) Any one of the following documents shall be considered sufficient evidence upon which to base the final determination of charity care sponsorship status, when the income information is annualized as may be appropriate:
(a) A "W-2" withholding statement;
(b) Pay stubs;
(c) An income tax return from the most recently f filed calendar year;
(d) Forms approving or denying eligibility for Medicaid and/or state-funded medical assistance;
(e) Forms approving or denying unemployment compensation; or
(f) Written statements from employers or welfare agencies:
(3) In the event that the responsible party's identification as an indigent person is obvious to hospital personnel, and the hospital personnel are able to establish the position of the income level within the broad criteria described in WAC 246-453-040 or within income ranges included in the hospitals sliding fee schedule, the hospital is not obligated to establish the exact income level or to request the aforementioned documentation from the responsible party, unless the responsible party requests further review. ,
(4) In the event that the responsible party is not able to provide any of the documentation described above, the hospital shall rely upon written and signed statements from the responsible party for making a final determination of eligibility for classification as an indigent person.
(5) Information requests, from the hospital to the responsible party, for the verification of income and family size shall be limited to that which is reasonably necessary and readily available to substantiate the responsible party's qualification for charity sponsorship, and may not be used to discourage applications for such sponsorship. Only those facts relevant to eligibility may be verified, and duplicate forms of verification shall not be demanded.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), § 246-453-030, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91.1
WAC 246-453-040 Uniform criteria for the identification of indigent persons. For the purpose of identifying indigent persons, all hospitals shall use the following criteria:
(1) All responsible parties with family income equal to or below one hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size, shall be determined to be indigent persons qualifying for charity sponsorship for the full amount of hospital charges related to appropriate hospital-based medical services that are not covered by private or public third-party sponsorship;
(2) All responsible parties with family income between one hundred one and two hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size, shall be determined to be indigent persons qualifying for discounts from charges related to appropriate hospital-based medical services in accordance with the hospitals sliding fee schedule and policies regarding individual financial circumstances;
(3) Hospitals may classify any individual responsible party whose income exceeds two hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size, as an indigent person eligible for a discount from charges based upon that responsible party's individual financial circumstances.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S 246-453-040, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91.]
WAC 246-453-050 Guidelines for the development of sliding fee schedules. All hospitals shall, within ninety days of the adoption of these rules, implement a sliding fee schedule for determination of discounts from billed charges for responsible parties meeting the criteria in WAC 246-453-040(2). These sliding fee schedules must be made available upon request.
(1) In developing these sliding fee schedules, hospitals shall consider the following guidelines:
(a) The sliding fee schedule shall consider the level of charges that are not covered by any public or private sponsorship in relation to or as a percentage of the responsible party's family income;
(b) The sliding fee schedule shall determine the maximum amount of charges for which the responsible party will be expected to provide payment, with flexibility for hospital management to hold the responsible party accountable for a lesser amount after taking into account the specific financial situation of the responsible party;
(c) The sliding fee schedule shall take into account the potential necessity for allowing the responsible party to satisfy the maximum amount of charges for which the responsible party will be expected to provide payment over a reasonable period of time, without interest or late fees; and
(d) Hospital policies and procedures regarding the sliding fee schedule shall specify the individual financial circumstances which may be considered by appropriate hospital personnel for purposes of adjusting the amount resulting from the application of the sliding fee schedule, such as:
(i) Extraordinary nondiscretionary expenses relative to the amount of the responsible party's medical care expenses;
(ii) The existence and availability of family assets, which may only be considered with regard to the applicability of the sliding fee schedule;
(iii) The responsible party's future income earning capacity, especially where his or her
ability to work in the future may be limited as a result of illness; and
(iv) The responsible party's ability to make payments over an extended period of time.
(2) Examples of sliding fee schedules which address the guidelines in the previous subsection are:
(a) A person whose annual family income is between one hundred one. and two hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size, shall have his/her hospital charges that are not covered by public or private sponsorship limited to forty percent of the excess of that person's annual family income over one hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size. This responsibility may be adjusted by appropriate hospital personnel after taking into consideration the individual financial circumstances of the responsible party. The responsible party’s financial obligation which remains after the application of this sliding fee schedule may be payable in monthly installments over a reasonable period of time, without interest or late fees, as negotiated between the hospital and the responsible party.
(b) A person whose family income is between one hundred one and two hundred percent of the federal poverty standard, adjusted for family size, shall have his/her hospital charges that are not covered by public or private sponsorship reduced according to the schedule below. The resulting responsibility may be adjusted by appropriate hospital personnel after taking into consideration the individual financial circumstances of the responsible party. The responsible party's financial obligation which remains after the application of this sliding fee schedule may be payable in monthly installments over a reasonable period of time, without interest or late fees, as negotiated between the hospital and the responsible party. The schedule is as follows:
INCOME AS A PERCENTAGE
OF FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL PERCENTAGE DISCOUNT
One hundred one to
one hundred thirty-three Seventy-five percent
One hundred thirty-four to
one hundred sixty-six Fifty percent
one hundred sixty-seven to
two hundred Twenty-five percent
(3) The provisions of this section and RCW 70.170-060 (5) shall not apply to the professional services of the hospital’s medical staff, provided that the charges for such services are either submitted by the individual medical staff or are separately identified within the hospitals billing system.
[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.070 [43.701 and 70.170 RCW. 9412-089, § 246-453-050, filed 6/l/94, effective 7/2/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), § 246-453-050, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91.1
WAC 246-453-060 Denial of access to emergency care based upon ability to pay and transfer of patients with emergency medical conditions or active labor. (1) No hospital or its medical staff shall adopt or maintain admission practices or policies which result in:
(a) A significant reduction in the proportion of patients who have no third-party coverage and who are unable to pay for hospital services;
(b) significant reduction in the proportion of individuals admitted for inpatient hospital services for which payment is, or is likely to be, less than the anticipated charges for or costs of such services; or
(c) The refusal to admit patients who would be expected to require unusually costly or prolonged treatment for reasons other than those related to the appropriateness of the care available at the hospital.
(2) No hospital shall adopt or maintain practices or policies which would deny access to emergency care based on ability to pay. No hospital which maintains an emergency department shall transfer a patient with an emergency medical condition or who is in active labor unless the transfer is performed at the request of the patient or is due to the limited medical resources of the transferring hospital. Hospitals must f follow reasonable procedures in making transfers to other hospitals including confirmation of acceptance of the transfer by the receiving hospital.
(3) The department shall monitor hospital compliance with subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The department shall report to the legislature and the governor on hospital compliance with these requirements and shall report individual instances of possible noncompliance to the state attorney general or the appropriate federal agency. For purposes of monitoring compliance with subsection (2) of this section, the department is to follow all definitions and requirements of federal law.
(4) Except as required by federal law and subsection (2) of this section, nothing in this section shall be interpreted to indicate that hospitals and their medical staff are required to provide appropriate hospital-based medical services, including experimental services, to any individual.
(Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S
246-453-060, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91.1
WAC 246-453-070 Standards for acceptability of hospital policies for charity care and bad debts.
(1) Each hospital shall develop, and submit to the department, charity care policies, procedures, and sliding fee schedules consistent with the requirements included in WAC 246-453-020, 246-453-030, 246-453-040, and 246-453-050. Any subsequent modifications to those policies, procedures, and sliding fee schedules must be submitted to the department no later than thirty days prior to their adoption by the hospital.
(2) Each hospital shall develop, and submit to the department, bad debt policies and procedures, including reasonable and uniform standards for collection of the unpaid portions of hospital charges that are the patient's responsibility. These standards are to be part of each hospitals system of accounts receivable management manuals, which support hospital collection policies. Manuals should cover procedures for preadmission, admission, discharge, outpatient registration and discharge, billing, and credit and collections. All subsequent modifications to these bad debt policies must be submitted to the department no later than thirty days prior to their adoption by the hospital.
(3) The department shall review the charity care and bad debt policies and procedures submitted in accordance with the provisions of this section. If any of the policies and procedures do not meet the requirements of this section or WAC 246-453-020, 246-453-030, 246-453-040, or 246-453-050, the department shall reject the policies and procedures and shall so notify the hospital. Such notification shall be in writing, addressed to the hospitals chief executive officer or equivalent, and shall specify the reason(s) that the policies and procedures have been rejected. Any such notification must be mailed within fourteen calendar days of the receipt of the hospitals policies and procedures. Within fourteen days of the date of the rejection notification, the hospital shall revise and resubmit the policies and procedures.
[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.070 (43.70] and 70.170 RCW. 9412-089, S 246-453-070, filed 6/l/94, effective 7/2/94. Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), § 246-453-070, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.70.040. 91-02-049 (Order 121), recodified as § 246-453-070, filed 12/27/90, effective 1/31/91. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.39 RCW. 85-01-007 (Order 84-07, Resolution No. 84-07), S 26114-030, filed 12/7/84.1
WAC 246-453-080 Reporting requirements. Each hospital shall compile and report data to the department with regard to the amount of charity care provided, in accordance with instructions issued by the department.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S 246-
453-080, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91. Statutory Authority: RCW
43.70.040. 91-02-049 (Order 121), recodified as § 246-453-080, filed
12/27/90, effective 1/31/91. Statutory Authority: Chapter 70.39 RCW.
85-01-007 (Order 84-07, Resolution No. 84-07), § 261-14-040, filed
12/7/84.1
WAC 246-453-090 Penalties for violation. (1) Failure to file the policies, procedures, and sliding fee schedules as required by WAC 246-453-070 or the reports required by WAC 246-453-080 shall constitute a violation of, RCW 70.170.060, and the department will levy a civil penalty of one thousand dollars per day for each day following official notice of the violation. The department may grant extensions of time to file the reports, in which cases failure to file the reports shall not constitute a violation until the extension period has expired.
(2) Failure to comply with other provisions of chapter 70.170 RCW, and chapter 246-453 WAC, shall result in civil penalties as provided within RCW 70.170.070(2), with the exception that the terms "not exceeding" and "not to exceed" will be read to mean "of"
[Statutory Authority: Chapters 43.070 [43.70] and 70.170 RCW. 9412-089, § 246-453-090, filed 6/l/94, effective 7/2/94. Statutory Authority:RCW 70.170.060. 91-05-048 (Order 142), S 246-453-090, filed 2/14/91, effective 3/17/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 43.70.040. 91-02-049 (Order 121), recodified as § 246-453-090, filed 12/27/90, effective 1/31/91. Statutory Authority: RCW 70.39.180. 86-11-041 (Order 86-01, Resolution No. 86-01), § 26114-090, filed 5/16/86.1
2000 Federal Poverty Guidelines
The 2000 Federal Poverty Guidelines for all states except Alaska and Hawaii and
The District of Columbia from the Federal Register dated February 15, 2000:
| Size of Family | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| 1 | $8,050 | $8,240 | $8,350 |
| 2 | 10,850 | 11,060 | 11,250 |
| 3 | 13,650 | 13,880 | 14,150 |
| 4 | 16,450 | 16,700 | 17,050 |
| 5 | 19,250 | 19,520 | 19,950 |
| 6 | 22,050 | 22,340 | 22,850 |
| 7 | 24,850 | 25,160 | 25,750 |
| 8 | 27,650 | 27,980 | 28,650 |
For family units with more than 8 members, add $2,800 for each additional member
for 1998, $2,820 for 1999 and $2,900 for 2000.
These guidelines go into effect on the day they are published, February 15, 2000, with the exception
of Hill Burton hospitals, which are effective sixty days from the date of publication.
Washington State 1998
Charity Care
For more information or additional copies contact:
Center for Health Statistics
Hospital and Patient Data Systems
1102 SE Quince Street
P.O. Box 47811
Olympia, Washington 98504-7811
(360) 236-4200
FAX (360) 664-8579
Mary Selecky
Secretary of Health
Special Acknowledgments to:
Authors:
Lawrence Hettick, Data Manager
Center for Health Statistics
Hospital and Patient Data Systems
Richard Ordos, Financial Analyst
Center for Health Statistics
Hospital and Patient Data Systems
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