UHWI steps up collection drive

THE UNIVERSITY Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) has stepped up its drive to collect millions in unpaid medical bills.

Patients will face new rules under the Fees Collection Improvement project which now requires them to pay half of their expected medical bill on admission. Previously patients were required to pay only a $5,000 deposit.

Only those admitted in emergency situations or found to be unable to afford the 50 per cent deposit after an assessment will be exempt but hospital officials said that these patients must arrange for payment while still in the hospital.

In addition, elective patients will have to pay an estimated cost before admission and out-patients will have to show receipts to lab technicians before tests are conducted. They will also have a service utilisation sheet to be filled in daily and sent to the billings clerk, to ensure that payment for all services is made.

In January, the UHWI enlisted the services of a collection agency in its debt recovery efforts, and said it would be providing further information to the collectors to help them track down persons with outstanding bills.

In May, the hospital reported that it was owed more than $300 million in unpaid bills, incurred over the past three years. Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Karl Davis said yesterday that about $4 million had since been collected. As part of its collection efforts, UHWI has also opened an account at the RBTT Union Bank to encourage patients to pay the fees owed and said it plans to have four additional assessment officers as well as weekend shifts for billing clerks to ease any additional strain on the administrative staff owing to improvements, which officials expect to result in the collection of 85 per cent of billings by July, 2002 while bringing $125.5
million in additional revenue annually.

The Gleaner was unable to ascertain whether Cornwall Regional Hospital, which is owed over $100 million, would consider similar measures but CEO at the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH), Errol Beckford, said that while his organisation would love to follow suit, administrative hands were tied because fees were set and gazetted by the Government under the National Health Services Act.

Mr. Beckford said that for registration at the institution, public patients forked out $100 while private patients pay $500. Major operations see public patients depositing $5,000 while private patients pay $8,000. Patients put down $800 or $1000 for maternity delivery.

"Our deposits are nowhere near UHWI's. We are constrained by a gazetted fee structure set by the relevant authorities. We would love to if I had the authority but because we are a public institution and KPH is a major referral hospital, we don't have that luxury," Mr. Beckford said. "Patients are claiming inability to
pay because of economic
conditions (but) we are getting a beating."

KPH has since been attempting to use "moral persuasion" to recover the over $50 million debt which has accumulated over the last two years, but with little success.

"We are appealing to persons who owe the institution for receiving health care to pay what they owe or even what they can. It's in their interest, their friends' and relatives' interest, the nation's interest and in the interest of health care that people try and settle bills," continued Mr. Beckford.

The hospital is strapped for funds, he said, and this was needed to continue to provide quality health care.

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