Researchers posing as underinsured patients found that while payment plan options are offered at most hospitals, details of those options "vary widely," according to a June 4 report from Los Angeles-based USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.
The study, published in Health Affairs Scholar, involved researchers calling a random sample of 249 hospitals, posing as underinsured patients seeking financial options to pay for a knee endoscopy, according to a June 4 USC Schaeffer Center news release. The hospitals called were a random, 10% sample of U.S. short-term non-government facilities.
The researchers found that more than 86% of hospitals called offered financial assistance to insured patients for nonemergency procedures, but 46% would not notify patients of their approval for assistance until after the service. The length and terms of the payment plans widely varied for hospital-administered and third-party financing arrangements. They also found that upfront payments were required at 20% of hospitals that provided information, "potentially posing barriers for patients without cash or credit access."
The study also found that 18% of hospitals could not be reached after three phone call attempts, according to the report. When the researchers did connect with hospital representatives, they were often transferred. They were transferred an average of 2.5 times per hospital, largely because the scope of information needed was not available from a single department.
The study's findings also highlighted financial challenges facing hospitals, according to the release. Payment plans were commonly available without interest or fees, meaning hospitals could incur "substantial cash flow delays from those patients," according to the report.
Read the full study here.