INFORM FV ABOUT YOUR INSURANCE STATUS

Upon registration with FV Hospital we ask that patients inform FV with details about their health insurance (name of their insurance provider, type of coverage, policy number), this information is usually mentioned on a patient’s insurance card. As the process for insured and non-insured patients differs, and as each insurance provider is different, this information will help Insurance Officers to arrange cashless services more quickly, or to provide the required medical and invoice documents for non-direct billing insurers faster, which will help patients claim reimbursement sooner rather than later.

  1. First fill in the registration form, which includes confirmation of your insurance status
  2. Show your insurance card to the receptionist.
  3. Sign the consent form to allow us to release your medical information to your insurer.

For any queries, patients should not hesitate to visit the FV Hospital Insurance Office located on the ground floor of the F building.

If a patient’s insurance status changes at any point, it is important to let FV Hospital know.

ADMISSION & DISCHARGE PROCEDURES

If you have a medical insurance, FV Insurance Department will contact your insurance company to request a letter of Guarantee of Payment (GOP) so the insurance will pay directly the hospital. The GOP indicates the amount of coverage by your insurance and/or the number of nights covered, this depends on your contract and usually comes with some exclusions.

Scheduled Hospitalisations

Whenever possible, before a patient is to be admitted to hospital (usually three or four days prior to the date of hospitalisation) an FV Hospital Insurance Officer will send their insurer a GOP form in order to obtain a Guarantee of Payment (GOP). This is always done when their insurance is part of FV’s Direct Billing Network but is not always possible for other insurance companies (see above).

Note that this GOP, which is a GOP approval, is given by a patient’s insurer based on their policy. A patient’s insurer may refuse to cover their hospitalisation due to exclusion in their policy, FV Hospital’s Insurance Officers are only facilitators and cannot interfere with a patient’s insurer’s decision.

Usually a patient’s insurance company will send FV Hospital a GOP approving the hospitalisation up to a certain amount and/or a certain duration, with specific exclusions in accordance with a patient’s policy. A second GOP may be necessary if their hospitalisation exceeds the amount approved or is longer than expected

If a patient’s insurer has not provided FV Hospital with the GOP at the time of admission FV will have to ask them to make a deposit which will then be reimbursed immediately once FV Hospital has received the GOP. If their insurer does not provide a GOP by the time a patient is to be discharged, they will have to pay in full and then claim back the money from their insurer later. FV’s Insurance Office is happy to guide them through the claim process in this instance.

Emergency Hospitalisations

If a patient’s insurance company is part of FV’s Direct Billing Network, it will be contacted to provide a GOP which is usually received within 24 working hours. While waiting for the confirmation, they will be requested to pay a deposit required by the hospital. Their deposit will be refunded to them as soon as the GOP has been received.

If a patient is not covered by an insurer that is part of FV’s Direct Billing Network, FV can, whenever possible, request a GOP. The patient’s deposit will be refunded to them as soon as the GOP has been received

When it is not possible to request a GOP, patients will be required to pay a deposit and then to pay for all treatment costs incurred upon their discharge.

Discharge

At the time of discharge, if a patient benefits from cashless services, they must go to the main cashier on the ground floor (or to the Accident & Emergency cashier after working hours and during weekends). They will have to sign all invoices that will be sent to their insurance company, and will be required to settle the invoices:

  • Related to extra services not covered by their insurance (such as telephone bills, room upgrades),
  • Excluded from their coverage under their policy,
  • Rejected by their insurance company, or
  • Over the guaranteed coverage agreed by their insurer in the GOP

The Ward Charging Officer (the secretary in the department where a patient was hospitalised) will give patients all their discharge documents and their date of follow-up appointment.

Short hospitalisations

Local insurance companies have different rules about short hospitalisations. Often a hospitalisation of less than 24 hours is considered outpatient treatment. If you have been admitted and your doctor allows you to be discharged early, less than 24 hours after your admission, you should check with your insurance company about this rule whether this short hospitalization is covered

If you have any questions regarding the coverage by your insurance company of your hospitalisation costs at FV Hospital, please contact FV Hospital Insurance Office on the Ground Floor, building F, by phone at (028) 35 11 34 51 or by email at insurance@fvhospital.com.