Billing Policies and Processes (2024)

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) continually strives to contain costs and maintain our commitment to excellence in medical care by ensuring every appropriate effort is made to collect money owed to the health network for services provided.

Billing policies

As a patient of LVHN, you are responsible to pay for any services you receive. As a courtesy, LVHN bills your health insurance carrier when you provide a valid insurance ID card or other proof of insurance coverage.

You may request an itemized bill at any time. After receiving services, LVHN sends up to four written statements, usually one every 30 days, as long as your account remains open with a balance due. It is your responsibility to follow up with your health insurance carrier to ensure timely payment is applied to your account. If payment has not been made within 45 days from when you received service, you should contact your insurance carrier. If no payment arrangements are made and your account becomes delinquent, LVHN may forward your account to a collection agency or attorney.

Medicare policies

LVHN bills Medicare for inpatient and outpatient services. If you provide additional health insurance information at the time of service, LVHN will also bill your supplemental insurance company. You are responsible for any portion of your bill not covered by Medicare or your supplemental insurance plan.

Medicare deductible and coinsurance amounts for 2019

Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) costs

For a hospital stay in 2019, you pay:

$1,364 deductible per benefit period
$341 per day for days 61–90 of each benefit period
$682 per “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 of each benefit period (up to a maximum of 60 days over your lifetime)
All costs beyond lifetime reserve days

For a skilled nursing facility stay in 2019, you pay:

$0 for the first 20 days of each benefit period
$170.50 per day for days 21–100 of each benefit period
All costs for each day after day 100 of the benefit period

Medicare Part B (medical insurance) costs

Blue Cross policies

LVHN bills Blue Cross for all inpatient and outpatient services. Most Blue Cross plans include a deductible and/or coinsurance, which you are responsible to pay.

Other insurance policies

Please present a valid insurance ID card or other proof of insurance coverage when you register or are admitted to an LVHN facility. LVHN is pleased to collaborate with all insurance carriers to help you pay for your health care. If your bill is the result of an accident/injury caused by someone else, remember that disputes between you and others do not, and should not, involve LVHN.

See a list of accepted insurances at:

Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg
Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th Street
LVHN–Tilghman
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hazleton
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill S. Jackson Street
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Schuylkill E. Norwegian Street
Lehigh Valley Hospital–Pocono

Billing processes

Giving you the best possible health care experience includes providing high-quality care and helping you understand this billing process.

Pre-registration – Before you arrive for a scheduled admission or elective surgery, we’ll review your method of payment. If you have commercial insurance, we’ll make the necessary phone calls to determine the extent to which you are covered and tell you what we found. If your insurance will not cover the cost of your care, a financial counselor will be assigned to help you apply for medical assistance from the state or ourfinancial assistance program.
Registration – When you arrive at LVHN, you’ll provide or verify your demographic, insurance and clinical information. We’ll photocopy your valid insurance card or document the accurate coverage information you provide so we can make arrangements for payment. Depending on where you are receiving care within LVHN, your insurance company may require you to pay a copayment (a flat fee you pay each time you receive a particular service).
Insurance is billed – As a courtesy to you, we bill all insurance carriers, including Medicare, Medicaid and commercial carriers. We will follow up and pursue payment from all insurance carriers. You are responsible for all balances your insurance carrier does not cover. If we do not receive a payment from your insurance carrier within 45 days, you will be asked to contact your insurance carrier.
Patient is billed – You’ll receive a bill in the mail for any unpaid balances not covered by your insurance company. These include copayment (a flat fee you pay each time you receive a particular service), deductible (the amount you must pay each year for health-related expenses before your insurance company begins paying) and coinsurance (the percentage of each claim above the deductible that you pay).

You may receive multiple bills

You might receive care from several different health care providers along your journey. For example, you may see your family physician, have an X-ray, get blood work, receive anesthesia or need medical transportation. Many of the organizations that provide these services have their own independent billing process. As a result, you potentially can receive a bill from:

Lehigh Valley Health Network
Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG), following a visit with a physician
A private practice, following a visit with a physician not associated with LVPG
Anesthesiology
Lehigh Magnetic Imaging Center, following a test such as an MRI (for the professional reading)
Lehigh Valley Diagnostic Imaging, following a test such as an X-ray(for the professional reading)
HNL Lab Medicine, following blood work
MedEvac
An ambulance company

Have questions?

LVHN financial counselors are ready to help answer your insurance, billing and payment questions. Call us at 484-884-0840.