Financial Assistance | Hackensack Meridian Health

Pricing Inquiries

If you would like to make a payment over the phone using our automated phone system, please call 1-732-776-4380. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have any questions, please contact us Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at one of our Billing & Insurance numbers.

Please Note: Payments made after 3 p.m. will not be processed until the next business day. This transaction will appear on your bank statement with Company Entry Description “EPAY HOSP”.

Separate Billing

Under federal law, certain services cannot be included in your hospital bill. Therefore, you will receive separate physician bills for each service rendered by the following:

• Anesthesiology
• Cardiology
• EEG
• EKG
• Emergency Physicians
• House Staff
• Psychiatry
• Nuclear Medicine
• Pathology
• Pulmonary Function Department
• Radiology (films and interpretations)
• Surgical Assistants
• Speech Therapy

These physician fees are for professional services rendered and/or interpretation of studies performed, and any questions regarding them should be addressed directly to those physician offices. In addition, if a house staff physician treats you for a situation that arises when your own physician is not available, you will be billed directly by that physician. The charges will not appear on your hospital bill. You should submit any such bills to your insurance provider or make arrangements for payment directly with your physician.

To Our Surgical Patients

In major surgical cases, it is mandatory to have a second qualified surgeon or surgeons available to assist the attending surgeon. Its purpose is to ensure the quality and safety of complex procedures. Traditionally, the cost of an assisting surgeon or surgeons was included in your hospital bill. Today, however, the Federal Tax Equity and Responsibility Act (TEFRA) does not allow such an inclusion, so you will receive a separate bill from the assisting surgeon or surgeons and are expected to pay for the services rendered by them.

Insurance companies are familiar with this practice and should include the assisting surgeon or surgeons for payment, if it is an included benefit. These bills should be forwarded to your insurance provider.

Insurance Limitations

Under Medicare, Medicaid, and other third-party regulations, only certain levels of care may be covered at our hospitals. Insurance benefits may be discontinued if your physician or Health Care Quality Strategies, Inc. (HQSI), decides that further care is not medically necessary. You may be held personally responsible for any non-covered services.

Hospital-Based Outpatient Coinsurance Notice

Certain hospital outpatient divisions, such as the Multi-Disciplinary and Oncology Care Centers, can be classified as “Hospital-Based Outpatient” departments by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). “Hospital-Based Outpatient” refers to the billing process for services rendered in a hospital outpatient department or location, and is a common practice for integrated health care systems where the hospital employs the support personnel involved in patient care, and physicians provide their services in a hospital-owned space. This clinical integration results in a more seamless coordination of your care across the clinics and hospital. If you have a question about this designation, please ask our registrar.

The “Hospital-Based Outpatient” designation means that you will receive separate billing statements for services provided in the clinic: a hospital fee and a physician(s) professional service fee.