Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health Care will offer a 70 percent discount on outstanding bills at High Point (N.C.) Regional Health before it transfers ownership of the hospital to Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
To receive the one-time write-off, High Point Regional Health patients who owe an outstanding balance to the hospital must pay 30 percent of the bill by Aug. 15. The discount applies to the portion the patient is liable for after insurance and other payments. Only bills received before June 1 will be eligible for the discount.
UNC Health Care and Wake Forest Baptist are expected to complete their transfer of High Point Regional Health in early fall. The two systems signed a binding agreement for the transaction March 8.
"UNC Health Care is seeking to settle as many accounts as possible prior to the transaction close," the system told the Winston-Salem Journal. "This is a common practice within the industry. It is our hope that the discount offered will be a win-win situation for our patients and the UNC Health Care system."