Backgrounders and Reports

Disclosure of Payments

Hospitals and other health care providers are required by law to provide a good faith estimate of a health plan's reimbursement for health services: [PDF]

Standard Community Benefit Footnote Disclosure

This statement, approved by the MHA Finance Committee, can be included in hospitals' audited financial statements to clarify the community benefit services provided by the hospital: [PDF].

Administrative Simplification Report

Minnesota hospitals, physicians' offices and health plans would save significantly by collaborating to eliminate unnecessary phone calls and streamline other administrative processes, a preliminary consultants' report says. On Sept. 15, 2006 representatives of Validus Consulting and the Headwaters Group shared their initial ideas with the Administrative Simplification Work Group, which comprises representatives of the Minnesota Hospital Association, Minnesota Medical Association and the Minnesota Council of Health Plans: [PDF].

For more information contact MHA finance staff Joe Schindler at (651) 659-1415 or Mark Sonneborn at (651) 659-1423.

Guidelines

Billing Practices

MHA Guidelines: Hospitals and other providers are required to give a consumer a good faith estimate of their expected reimbursement from the consumer's health plan. For the uninsured, providers are required to provide a good faith estimate of what they expect to be paid: [PDF].

AHA Guidelines: The American Hospital Association issued its guidelines on billing practices: [PDF].

Charity Care

Under the guidance of the Charity Care Task Force, MHA has issued guidelines [PDF] for hospitals to follow surrounding billing and collection activities.