inancial Assistance

For a printable PDF of KishHealth System's Financial Assistance brochure, click here.

As a charitable institution, Kishwaukee Health System and it its hospitals and other affiliates ("KHS") recognize the importance of providing Charity Services to the community. 

KHS honors its obligation to provide medically necessary care to its patients. 

KHS recognizes that, based on current Illinois and Federal laws, KHS has an obligation to provide emergency and/or trauma services to the best of its ability before determining the source of payment for such services.  Medically necessary care is provided to uninsured, low-income and medically indigent patients based on the actual policy.

KHS communicates the availability of Charity Services and provides Charity Services within reasonable guidelines to eligible low-income, uninsured and medically indigent patients in the community, and in a fair and consistent manner.  This is done through publication, brochures, posters, and other modes of communication. 

Charity Services are medically necessary services essential to a patient's health that are provided to a patient meeting eligibility criteria for reduced or waived fees under this Policy; Charity Services shall exclude services that are not medically necessary reasonably determined by KHS from time to time not to be subject to this Policy. 

Communication of Availability of Charity Services:

• KHS shall request general financial information from a patient as soon as possible upon the patient's presenting for services at KHS.  This request will occur after medical screening and/or stabilizing treatment in the case of emergency services.
• KHS shall communicate the availability of Charity Services to patients by providing patients who present for services with general written or oral information regarding the availability of financial assistance.   
• Upon a patient's request, KHS shall provide such patient with eligibility paperwork (the "Financial Disclosure Worksheet") for Charity Services and assist patients in completing such worksheet.
• KHS shall communicate to patients the availability of general financial assistance, including community aid, Medicaid, Medicare, welfare and other community resources of which KHS is aware, and shall assist patients in completing applications for such assistance.

Patients meeting the following criteria will be eligible for Charity Services:

• Low Income Individuals:  KHS will bill third party payors for medically necessary services provided to low income individuals.  With respect to any amounts not covered by a responsible third party payor, a patient meeting a Federal Poverty Level income category may be eligible to receive a Charity Services discount off from the KHS standard charges. 
• Uninsured or Medically Indigent Individuals:  A patient failing to meet the criteria in section IV.B.1. may be eligible for Charity Services in an amount determined by KHS based on the following criteria:

1. Family size and other related pertinent factors including financial obligations, family living expenses or the like.
2. Employment status, including but not limited to future earning capacity and allowing for the likelihood of a financial capacity sufficient to meet his or her financial obligations in an acceptable time period.
3. Future and current ability to pay.
4. Amount and frequency of medical bills in relation to the above factors.
5. Catastrophic medical costs that may make the patient medically indigent, even if the patient does not initially meet the criteria established under this Policy.
6. Other factors deemed appropriate by KHS from time to time.

• Special Consideration of Assets.  In determining a patient's eligibility for Charity Services under this Policy, KHS shall not consider the value of a patient's personal or real property and shall not attach or force the pledge or use of such assets; provided, however, that if a patient is self-employed, and therefore uninsured, and the patient holds substantial assets while reporting minimal income on the Financial Disclosure Worksheet, KHS may consider the patient's assets in determining the patient's reasonable ability to pay his or her medical expenses.

Granting of Charity Services

The determination of a patient's eligibility for Charity Services under this Policy shall be made as close as possible to the time of admission or the provision of services, assuming that adequate eligibility information is readily available.

• The determination of a patient's eligibility for Charity Services under this policy shall be made in a non-discriminatory manner.
• KHS shall ask patients who seek Charity Services to complete a Financial Disclosure Worksheet.  The Financial Disclosure Worksheet will be used to assist KHS in determining whether the patient qualifies for Charity Services.  KHS shall assist patients in completing the Financial Disclosure Worksheet.
• KHS's determinations whether Charity Services are to be provided shall be made only after a complete and accurate Financial Disclosure Worksheet is obtained.
• A patient applying for Charity Services must update their Financial Disclosure Worksheet upon each inpatient admission, regardless of past receipt of Charity Services.  For all outpatient and other services, KHS shall require patients to update their Financial Disclosure Worksheet on a periodic basis to ensure their financial circumstances have not changed. 
• Before an application for Charity Services is reviewed for eligibility, KHS shall assist the patient in determining whether other resources, including community aid, Medicaid and Medicare, welfare or other community resources, may be available.  To assist in this process, KHS shall refer a patient to enrollment personnel or, as appropriate, directly assist any patient in applying for Medicaid or other community assistance.
• Following exhaustion of available community resources, if a patient meets the Charity Services eligibility criteria and the services qualify as Charity Services, KHS shall grant Charity Services.

Payment Policies Applicable to Charity Services

• Before beginning collection proceedings relating to Charity Services, KHS shall attempt to assist a patient and exhaust all available community resources, including community aid, Medicaid and Medicare, welfare and other community resources. 
• KHS may classify a portion of a patient account as Charity Service, if a patient is able to pay for only a portion, but not all, of the services KHS provides. 
• Once KHS has classified a patient's services as Charity Services that determination will be final unless KHS finds the determination is based on erroneous information.
• Payments made by self-pay patients prior to the determination of eligibility for Charity Services will not be refunded or considered against outstanding balances for purposes of applying for or determining eligibility for Charity Services.
• KHS may write off inactive outstanding Bad Debt balances for services provided before a patient was eligible for or failed to complete an application for Charity Services.
• KHS will not pursue or attach any patient's personal or real property during collection.