Financial Assistance

Financial Assistance Summary

Driscoll Health System provides medical care to all patients up to the age of 20 and 364 days that are in need, regardless of their ability to pay. Driscoll Health System is a healthcare provider under the State of Texas Medicaid Program, as well as offering our own hospital financial assistance program. To qualify for these programs, individuals must meet the necessary guidelines outlined in each program,and the medical treatment must be of medical necessity. For information concerning these programs, please contact Driscoll Health System at (361) 694-4758.

State of Texas Medicaid Program/TexCare Partnership

This program was developed by the Texas Department of Human Resources for working families with qualifying income. Driscoll Health System accepts TexCare Children’s Health Insurance Partnership reimbursement for qualifying children as well as Medicaid.

Social Security

If you become disabled or cannot work because of a physical condition which is expected to last at least one year or result in death, you may be eligible for Social Security disability benefits. People with disabilities, including children, who have little income and few resources, also may be eligible for disability payments through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. You can visit the government website www.socialsecurity.gov to find answers to questions regarding the benefits or to file for benefits.

Driscoll Health System Financial Assistance Policy Summary

Eligibility
Driscoll Health System. (“Hospital”) offers reduced or no charge services for all emergency or other medically necessary care for individuals eligible under our Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) Eligibility is based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines, number of dependents and gross annual income along with supportive income documents. Additional means of determining eligibility may be utilized by the hospital if individual circumstance supports that a completed application is not practical. Any third party resource that may be available to the patient must be used before assistance is approved by the Hospital. A review by the Hospital’s financial counselor will also be required. Non-medically necessary services such as cosmetic procedures, pre-set cash-only procedures and non-covered screening services are not eligible for financial assistance.

Income Guidelines
Patients eligible for the Hospital’s Financial Assistance will not be charged more than the amount generally billed to individuals having insurance covering emergency and other medically necessary care. The Hospital will use the Look Back Method for determining the percentage allowed to be applied to gross charges to determine the generally billed amount. for a 12 month period ending 8/31/2020. The AGB percentage used is 32%, patients meeting the Hospital’s Financial Assistance Policy requirements will be charged no more than 25% of the amount generally billed. The detail of this information is available upon request by calling the financial counseling office at (361) 694-4758.

Collection Procedures
Normal collection procedures will be followed for all patients unless the Hospital’s Financial Assistance Application Form is completed and submitted to the Hospital. Patients with incomplete applications will receive written notification identifying the additional information and the final date information or payment must be received to prevent submission of account to an outside agency for collection. The Hospital’s detailed Collection Policy is available on the website listed below or upon request.

Information on Obtaining the Hospital Financial Assistance Application Form and Policies
Additional information along with a printable Hospital Financial Assistance Form, a summary of the Hospital Financial Assistance Policy, Full Detailed Hospital Financial Assistance Policy and the detailed Hospital Collection Policy is available at our website. You will be able to see an example of the federal poverty guidelines at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty. To print the Hospital Financial Assistance Application Form, go to the bottom of the page and click on Financial Assistance Application in the appropriate language. This form and the policies listed are also available in Spanish and a few other languages most commonly used in the Hospital’s service areas.

Hospital Methods of Providing the Hospital Financial Assistance Application Form
Applications at no cost will be mailed to you by calling the Patient Access Office at (361) 694-4758. The Hospital Financial Assistance Summary Policy and the Hospital Financial Assistance Application Form may be reviewed and printed by following the website links. Paper copies of the Hospital Financial Assistance Application Form and Hospital Financial Assistance Policy Summary may be obtained from the Admitting Office located on the first floor of the Hospital or the discharge window located on the first floor of the Hospital Emergency Department. Our applications are available in English or Spanish, and we do have other language assistance resources upon request.

Questions and Assistance in Completion of Financial Assistance Application Form
For further questions or assistance in completion of the assistance application, please call our Patient Access Office at (361) 694-4758. You may also request a summary or complete copy of our Financial Assistance Policy from any Patient Access Office employee or by calling or requesting the policy in writing to: Financial Assistance – Driscoll Children’s Hospital, 3533 S. Alameda St., Corpus Christi, TX 78411. Additional comments or questions may be sent to our email: DriscollFinanceAssistance@dchstx.org.