Billing Your Insurance
Initially, Patient Financial Services sends a summarized statement of charges for services received at the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Centers to the person listed as the “guarantor” on the patient’s account. This statement doesn’t include professional services billed by UW Physicians or other billing providers.
For patients with no health insurance coverage, payment is expected within 30 days of receipt of the statement--unless you have applied for financial assistance and are awaiting a determination, or you have made other payment arrangements with our office. For more information about paying your bill, please go to Frequently Asked Questions.
In all other cases, you need do nothing after receiving your itemized statement. We will bill the insurance or other health plan indicated at patient registration.
If your health coverage has changed, please update your information as soon as possible.
After processing your claim, most insurers, including Medicare, will send you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), describing how the services were covered and what your balance or “Patient Responsibility” is. If you have questions about your EOB, contact your health plan and/or Patient Financial Services.
Make sure to have your EOB handy when you call, write or email us.
Charges which may not be paid by your insurance and may then become your Patient Responsibility include:
- Deductibles
- Co-insurance and/or co-pays
- Benefit limitations, i.e. items or services not covered under your insurance plan
- Medicare program exclusions (see your Medicare Handbook for a complete listing).
- Claims your health insurance denies due to missing or incorrect subscriber information
Please note that for third-party liability cases such as automobile accidents, you are responsible for payment. We will not hold open accounts until settlement is reached with a third-party payer.