SALIDA, Colo.—Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center recently introduced reduced cash-based pricing for rehabilitation services: physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
Patients pay for the service upfront with cash, check or credit card. Insurance companies will not be billed, so the cash payment will not go toward an insurance deductible.
The hospital is able to offer the cash discount because there are fewer administrative costs, and payment is received in full at the time of service.
Rehab services provided at HRRMC prior to Aug.1, 2018, do not qualify for the cash-based pricing.
A doctor’s order is required for all cash-based rehab services regardless of payment method, and a report will continue to be sent to the ordering physician.
“The hospital has been developing cash-based pricing for rehab services for some time,” said Lesley Fagerberg, vice president of finance. “We are aware that more and more of our patients have limited insurance coverage or high-deductible plans and we wanted to offer a more affordable option.
“I encourage patients interested in cash-based rehab pricing to call our Patient Financial Services office at (719) 530-2475 to determine their out-of-pocket costs so they can decide if cash-based pricing is the best option for them.”
This is one of several initiatives HRRMC has undertaken to address the cost of health care. Other initiatives include direct access lab testing, cash-based pricing for CT and MRI scans, and opening a walk-in clinic at the HRRMC Buena Vista Health Center.
