Medi-Cal Coverage At Verdugo Hills Hospital: What You Need To Know

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is a community hospital that has served the Foothills for over 40 years. It offers a range of services, including primary care, diagnostics, emergency medicine, and maternal and child health services. The hospital is committed to patient safety and quality care and encourages price transparency to empower its consumers. While it is not explicitly stated whether USC Verdugo Hills Hospital accepts Medi-Cal, eligible patients can receive discounts that reduce their hospital bills to the highest amount expected to be paid by Medi-Cal.

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is a community hospital that has served the Foothills for over 40 years

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, part of Keck Medicine of USC, has been serving the cities of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the surrounding Foothill communities of Southern California, for over 40 years. The hospital was established in 1947 as Behrens Memorial Hospital. In 1972, a new hospital was built on the hilltop land donated by the Greene family, and it was named Verdugo Hills Hospital. In 2013, Verdugo Hills Hospital partnered with the University of Southern California (USC), thus becoming USC Verdugo Hills Hospital.

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is a 158-bed community hospital that provides a full range of personalized, quality inpatient and outpatient services to meet the community's healthcare needs. Their top-ranked doctors and nationally recognized emergency nursing staff deliver world-class care to patients and their families. Their inpatient care includes geropsychiatric care, intensive care, medical/surgical, orthopaedics, obstetrics, transitional care, and telemetry. Their outpatient services include cardiac rehabilitation, diagnostic testing, emergency care, outpatient surgeries, wound care, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The hospital also has a 24-hour emergency room, a primary stroke center, bariatric and minimally invasive surgery, orthopaedic surgery, occupational, physical and speech therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, and imaging services.

The hospital has earned an "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, positioning it among the top-tier hospitals in the nation for safety and quality. This recognition highlights the hospital's ongoing initiatives to maintain the highest standards of patient care. With access to clinical trials and breakthrough technology, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital continually strives to offer the convenience and personal touch of a community hospital.

The hospital's mission is to provide personalized, high-quality healthcare relevant to its patient community. Their team includes patient navigators who offer guidance, education, and coordinated care to ensure patients are well-informed and prepared. They are dedicated to helping patients navigate the complexity of medical billing and provide protections against surprise medical bills through the No Surprises Act. Eligible patients can also receive "charity care" to have all or part of their hospital bill forgiven.

The hospital provides a range of services, including primary care, diagnostics, emergency medicine and maternal/child health services

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital has been serving the Foothills community, including the cities of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge, for over 40 years. The hospital offers a range of services, including:

Primary Care

Primary care services are provided by experienced physicians, nurses, and staff, including the chief quality officer, Mary Virgallito, a registered nurse and paediatric nurse practitioner.

Diagnostics

The hospital offers diagnostic testing as part of its outpatient services.

Emergency Medicine

The Emergency Department provides care for both urgent and life-threatening cases for adults and children. The hospital also has a 24-hour emergency room and a primary stroke center.

Maternal/Child Health Services

Maternal and child health services are available, with specific expertise in paediatrics and paediatric nursing.

In addition to these core services, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital also offers a range of inpatient and outpatient services, including cardiac rehabilitation, outpatient surgeries, orthopaedics, and physical medicine and rehabilitation, which includes physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The hospital also provides community outreach initiatives, such as health education, access to low- or no-cost screenings and immunizations, and support for local organizations to address community health and well-being needs.

Patients can receive a discount on their bill, reducing it to the highest amount Medi-Cal would pay

USC Verdugo Hills Hospital is a community hospital that has been serving the Foothills for over 40 years. The hospital offers a range of services, including primary care, diagnostics, emergency medicine, and maternal and child health services. They are committed to providing safe and efficient healthcare to their patients and fostering transparency in their pricing.

In terms of insurance coverage, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital does not explicitly state whether they accept Medi-Cal. However, they do mention that eligible patients can receive a discount on their hospital bill, reducing it to the highest amount expected to be paid by Medicare or Medi-Cal. This suggests that the hospital may consider patients with Medi-Cal coverage and offer financial assistance to those who qualify.

The hospital also mentions protections against surprise medical bills, as outlined in the No Surprises Act, which took effect on January 1, 2022. This act provides patients with financial protections against unexpected medical bills and prohibits certain out-of-network billing practices. USC Verdugo Hills Hospital encourages patients to contact their insurer to understand their financial responsibilities, including copayments, coinsurance percentages, and annual deductibles.

While the hospital does not explicitly mention accepting Medi-Cal, their commitment to financial transparency and patient protection suggests that they may work with patients to provide affordable care. It is always best to contact the hospital directly or refer to their website for the most up-to-date information regarding accepted insurance plans and financial assistance programs.

To conclude, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital demonstrates a patient-centric approach by prioritizing safety, quality care, and financial transparency. Their eligibility for charity care and discounts on hospital bills, as well as their adherence to the No Surprises Act, indicate a commitment to making healthcare accessible and affordable for their patients. For definitive information on Medi-Cal acceptance, it is advisable to contact the hospital or refer to their official sources.

The hospital is DNV-accredited, prioritising patient safety and quality care

Verdugo Hills Hospital, also known as USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, is DNV-accredited. DNV is an approved healthcare accreditation organization through the US Government's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). DNV's accreditation requirements provide healthcare organizations with a clear framework for required compliance and improvement of patient safety and quality of care. Their surveyors employ a variety of methods for assessment, including staff interviews, medical record review, organizational document review, building and offsite visits, and patient interviews and feedback. Their survey approach is collaborative, transparent, and educational, focusing on helping organizations continuously improve year over year.

DNV's accreditation standards have been developed for various healthcare organizations, including specialist outpatient clinics. Their surveyor teams combine international experience with local knowledge, providing a supportive and objective third-party assessment of an organization's systems, processes, and facilities. Their management systems approach makes accreditation a tool for identifying goals and implementing change at every level of an organization.

Verdugo Hills Hospital's DNV accreditation demonstrates its commitment to prioritizing patient safety and providing quality care. The hospital believes that its patients should have all the tools they needs to make informed health decisions. To that end, it makes its standard charges readily available online, as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Additionally, the hospital is dedicated to helping its patients navigate the complexity of medical billing. While it does not explicitly state whether it accepts Medi-Cal, eligible patients can receive a discount that reduces their hospital bill to the highest amount expected to be paid by Medi-Cal.

The No Surprises Act protects patients from unexpected medical bills and prohibits certain out-of-network balance billing

The No Surprises Act (NSA) came into effect on January 1, 2022, and offers patients protection from unexpected medical bills and prohibits certain out-of-network balance billing. The Act also supplements state surprise billing laws, creating a "floor" for consumer protections against surprise bills from out-of-network providers and higher cost-sharing responsibility for patients.

The NSA applies to those with health insurance and those without. If you are uninsured, or choose not to use your health insurance, you can get a good faith estimate of the cost of your care upfront before your visit. If you disagree with your bill, you may be able to dispute the charges.

If you are insured and your health plan denies all or part of a claim for service, you can appeal that decision. Your plan documents will contain information on the review process and how to request a review of your plan's decision.

The Act also protects against surprise billing for emergency services if you have a group health plan or group or individual health insurance coverage. If you get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan's in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments, coinsurance and deductibles). You cannot be balance billed for these emergency services. This also applies to non-emergency care from out-of-network providers at certain in-network facilities, or air ambulance services from out-of-network providers.

The No Surprises Act also requires some healthcare facilities and providers to disclose Federal and State patient protections against balance billing and sets out a complaint process for violations of protections against balance billing and out-of-network cost-sharing.

Regarding Verdugo Hills Hospital, eligible patients can receive a discount that reduces their hospital bill to the highest amount expected to be paid by Medicare or Medi-Cal.

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