Your Hospital Bill

This is how our billing process usually works:

1. Our billing office will send a claim to your insurance company shortly after your services are complete.
2. After receiving the claim, your insurance company may contact you for additional information. Please respond to your insurance company’s questions as quickly as possible so their payment is not delayed.
3. Your insurance company usually takes 30 - 45 days to pay your claim.
4. After your insurance company pays us, we will provide you with information about any amount you may still owe. Keep in mind that your policy is an agreement between you and your insurance company. If you did not follow your insurance plan’s terms, they might not pay for all or part of your care.

What is Not Included in Your Hospital Bill

Note that each physician providing services related to your hospital stay/visit will bill you separately. This could include fees related not only to physicians who directly cared for you during your stay, but also specialists such as anesthesiologists, pathologists and radiologists and other physicians consulted by your doctor, who “work behind the scenes” to ensure your safety and care.

The enacted California State AB72 provides that if you have insurance and your carrier is contracted with USC Arcadia Hospital, AND the provider (Physician) is NOT contracted with your carrier, you (as a plan member) are only required to pay the non-contracted physician only the amount you would be required to pay as if he/she were contracted (unless you have been advised 24 hours in advance and have consented to pay him/her the non-contracted rates). Should you have any questions, we advise you to call your physician’s billing office. Methodist Hospital of Southern California does not have nor, do we provide physician-related bills.

Payment at Time of Service

Similar to when you visit your physician’s office, we expect payment at time of service. If you are ineligible for Medicaid or financial assistance and cannot pay your entire bill, we will work with you to set up monthly payment arrangements. If, after your services are received, any additional payment is due, we will send you information about any amount you may still owe. We accept major credit cards, checks, money orders and cash. You may also pay your bill online.

Financial Assistance for Uninsured Patients

USC Arcadia Hospital offers many forms of financial relief for patients without healthcare insurance (“uninsured”) who need emergency or non-elective services. We have financial counselors available to evaluate your eligibility for various local and state programs, including county assistance and Medi-Cal

Financial Assistance for Uninsured Patients

Pricing Estimates

To provide helpful information based on each patient’s personal healthcare coverage, we must first determine your private insurance or government coverage (such as Medicare or Medicaid). If you have any questions about determining such call 626-821-2354. Your estimate will be a “good faith estimate” and not a final price as additional procedures may be performed or complications may arise. Additionally, your insurer has the final say on coverage, contract pricing and your financial responsibility. If you are uninsured or choose not to use your insurance, federal law gives you the right to a “Good Faith Estimate.” (See PDF document or you can go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises)

First, you need to contact your insurance company to ensure that the services you require are “covered services.” If some or all of the services are not covered under your plan, please refer to our uninsured information. You also will need to contact your physician’s office to get the specific diagnosis or procedure description.

Our procedure pricing tool provides cost estimates for insured and uninsured patients. When using this tool, you will need to have the information listed in No. 1 and No. 2 below. Be sure to have the following information available, so that we can provide the best estimate possible:

1. Description of services needed: we will need as much information as possible about the specific services described by your physician.
2. Type of services needed: we need to know if you will be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient overnight or if you will be treated as an outpatient.
3. Physician/specialist name: if you are having surgery, we will need the surgeon’s name.
4. Your insurance card: please have your card available so that we can get the following information: insurance company, type of policy (HMO, PPO, POS, Indemnity, etc.), policy holder’s name, group name and number, policy number, insurance company phone number.
5. Policyholder’s personal information: the insurance company might want us to verify the Social Security Number and date of birth of the primary insurance policyholder.

Understanding Your Bill

Numbered areas point out where important information can be found on your statement. For answers to questions about your USC Arcadia Hospital statement, please call a patient account representative at 626-574-3594. Please keep a copy of itemized statements, as future statements may not include the details of the original.

1. Patient Name - Name of person who was treated.
2. Patient Account Number - Account number assigned to this patient for this visit.
3. Statement Date - The date the bill was generated.
4. Payment Due - The amount owed that reflects total charges minus any payment you and/or your insurance company made and was posted to your account as of the statement date. Any payments made after your statement date will not be reflected in the current balance.
5. Date/s of Service - The day/s the patient was treated.
6. Your Next Step - Your next step to making payment.
7. Payment Options - These are the payment options that may be available to you.
8. Questions - Phone number to call during office hours listed.
9. Due Date - The date payment is due. If you are unable to pay in full by this date, call customer service at 626-574-3594.
10. Show Amount Paid Here - Write in the amount you are paying towards this bill.
11. Make Checks Payable and Send to - The provider name and address where payments should be sent.
12. Pay Onlline - This is the website to make your electronic payment.
13. Patient Name - Name of person who was treated.
14. Patient Account Number - Account number assigned to this patient for this visit.
15. Statement Date - The date the bill was generated.
16. Date/s of Service - The day/s the patient was treated.
17. Amount Due - The amount owed that reflects total charges minus any payment you and/or your insurance company made and posted to your account as of the statement date. Any payments made after your statement date will not be reflected in the current balance due.
18. Total Charges - Total adjustments made to your account.
19. Insurance Payments Received - Any payments received from your insurance company/s.
20. Total Adjustments - Total adjustments made to your account.
21. Patient Payments Received - Any payments received from patient.
22. Your Insurance/s on File - Primary and secondary insurance that we have on file for patient.
23. Additional Information - You may receive other bills from other doctors or medical specialists.
24. Financial Assistance Summary - Information about financial assistance that may be available to you at https://www.methodisthospital.org/financialassistance.