What to Expect

Your bill represents the charges for services you received during one hospital stay or visit to our facility. The daily rate includes bed occupancy, meals, and nursing care. You will also see charges for laboratory tests, diagnostic imaging (X-ray), medications, use of the operating room, and any other tests, procedures, or supplies your doctors have ordered. Professional fees for your physicians' services, with some exceptions, are billed separately.

Your bill contains the name and phone number of your patient account representative and what to do if you suspect an error. Our weekday office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Your bill will show the total charges and will indicate the insurance information we have on file.

If you receive a summary billing and would like an itemized statement of your charges, you may request one by calling the billing office. The phone number for the billing office is (406) 756-4408.

The facility will bill for limited physician services and doctors who read results of EKGs. Patients should expect to receive separate bills from any private doctors, surgeons, or assistant surgeons who participated in your care, as well as from any consulting or professional groups such as radiology (X-ray), anesthesiology, and pathology (laboratory). If you have questions about any of these bills, please contact the doctor from whom the bill has been sent.

Northwest Healthcare participates with Medicare, Medicaid, Champus/Tricare, and Worker's Compensation. We accept Employee Group Health and private insurance coverage if we receive complete billing information. For inpatient, surgical, and selected outpatient therapies, procedures, and testing, we will verify that the insurance is in effect at the time of service.

The insurance subscriber is responsible for complying with their insurance company's requirements. Those requirements may include obtaining referrals, pre-certification, second opinions, and/or ensuring that the hospital belongs to their particular network of managed care providers.

NWHC will file your insurance claims, and will also file any secondary insurance that you report to us. If your insurance company has not paid on a timely basis, we will send you a letter requesting your help in solving whatever problems have led to the delay in payment. You are responsible for seeing that your insurance company pays us correctly and on a timely basis.

If you need to update your insurance information, please call your patient account representative when you receive your bill, and we will be able to re-file your claim, or email us.

Our in-house financial counselor can help you estimate your potential financial responsibility for hospital services. We may request a down payment of this estimated amount. If requested, please visit our Cash Account Coordinator's office, located on the first floor of Kalispell Regional Medical Center,  or contact an account representative prior to going home. We appreciate your cooperation.

Once your insurance company has paid, we will send you a statement requesting payment of any remaining balance in full within 30 days. A discount may be available for some services for promptly settling your account. If you cannot make payment in full, please call us to explore other options in working out arrangements for payment.

Our patient representatives will assist you in exploring all possible resources for medical assistance within the community, including Public Assistance and other State and Federal agencies. NWHC will accept 12 monthly payments after all other alternate methods of payments have been exhausted. Monthly payments are set according to the current board-approved payment schedule and personal financial information may be required to set appropriate payment arrangements. Payment arrangements can be made by calling our office ar (406) 756-4408.

Other Resources

• Flathead County Agency on Aging (AIMS Program), (406) 758-5728
• Montana State Insurance Commissioner (406) 444-6500