2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide - Association of ...

Table 1. Patient Eligibility Criteria for Rex Assist
and offers the additional resources of
case management and referral within the
community.
The Oncology Continuum at
Rex Healthcare
Rex Cancer Center was the first in the
region to earn national recognition as
a Comprehensive Community Cancer
Center through the American College of
Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC)
and was also the first Comprehensive
Breast Care Center in the area. In addition
to the Rex Cancer Center, which
houses medical and radiation oncology,
many departments within Rex Healthcare
and several physician practices
provide care to oncology patients from
detection to treatment. Because patient
care spans across these business entities,
financial assistance is complicated. As
the patient moves through the cancer care
continuum many additional bills may be
generated. Some services do not qualify
for Rex Financial Assistance; others have
separate financial assessment and support
programs. Non-eligible care furthers the
complexity of resource management for
patients. Given this complexity, our staff
works to ensure that patients understand
the differences in service delivery and
have access to the appropriate resources
Forgiveness of Debt 2012 Federal Poverty Traditional Charity
Guidelines
Care 100% of Past
and 6 Months Into
the Future (Some
Exceptions Apply)
% of Federal Poverty
Guidelines < = 250%
Family Size of 1 $11,170 $27,925
Family Size of 2 $15,130 $37,875
Family Size of 3 $19,090 $47,725
Family Size of 4 $23,050 $57,325
Family Size of 5 $27,010 $67,525
Family Size of 6 $30,970 $77,425
Family Size of 7 $34,930 $87,325
Family Size of 8 $38,890 $97,225
For each additional person $3,820
that are aligned with each service type
(see Table 2, page 7).
Navigation Services
Seven years ago, the Rex Patient Care
Navigation program was established with
a Duke Endowment grant to provide
navigation to breast cancer patients.
Since then, our program has grown to
4.7 FTE RNs, providing navigation
services for those diagnosed with breast,
gastrointestinal, and thoracic cancers.
Our navigation team engages with
patients whenever care is being provided
within Rex Healthcare. These navigators:
●●
Assess patients for financial distress
●●
Refer appropriate patients to hospital
and/or departmental resources
●●
Reassure patients about available
resources
●●
Follow up with patients regarding
the process of accessing financial
resources.
Often, our navigators are a trusted source
of information that patients will turn
to when reluctant to engage with other
6
A Legacy of Philanthropic Care
In 1894 John Rex, a tanner from
Raleigh, N.C., made several
bequests to found Rex Hospital. His
last will and testament directed:
I give and bequeath...all
money belonging to me...
to provide a comfortable
retreat for the sick and afflicted
poor belonging to the
city of Raleigh in which they
may have the benefit of
skillful medical aid and
proper attention.
Rex Healthcare has grown from a staff
of seven working in the converted home
of former Governor Charles Manly
to becoming the leading healthcare
provider for Wake County, N.C., and its
surrounding communities.
Now a member of UNC Health
Care, Rex Healthcare is a private, notfor-profit
healthcare system with more
than 5,400 employees. Rex Healthcare
has 660 beds and treats nearly 34,000
inpatients annually. Rex Healthcare’s
medical staff includes more than
1,100 physicians and 1,700 nurses.
Wherever patients enter the Rex
Healthcare system, staff is available
to address the financial concerns of
patients and families and ensure that
they receive the best care possible.
Rex Healthcare’s mission: to provide
the best in health services by bringing
together compassionate care and
leading-edge technology. Bottom line:
Rex Healthcare is committed to providing
the best health services to everyone
in the communities that we serve—
regardless of their ability to pay.
Of course, when John Rex identified
“the afflicted poor” in his bequest,
he could not have foreseen the extraordinary
rise in healthcare costs and
that these costs would consume
an enormous percentage of the GDP,
now at almost 20 percent. Today,
a tumultuous economy and high
unemployment have significantly
reduced the number of people eligible
for workplace-sponsored insurance,
and increasing numbers of underinsured
and uninsured patients enter
our healthcare system daily to receive
needed treatment for cancer.
ACCC 2013 Patient Assistance and Reimbursement Guide