Some Hospitals Skip Consent Under No Surprises Act, Won't Let Patients Waive Protections

There’s no reason for consent forms in connection with the No Surprises Act at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, because it doesn’t do balance billing of any kind. The hospital is billing patients the same amount whether the services were provided in network or out of network, with no option to waive their protections from surprise bills.

“We don’t do a consent to bill out of network because we don’t bill out of network,” said Corporate Compliance Officer Melony Rarick. “We made an organizational decision we are not going to balance bill.”

The hospital also has developed a consolidated form that presents information to patients about their various rights and responsibilities, including the good faith cost estimate requirement of the No Surprises Act, on one page. It’s one of the moves made by the four-person compliance department as it tackles the No Surprises Act and other regulatory requirements in tandem, big regulations marked by detailed specifications, extensions and court battles. “You have to know what you need to be compliant and understand the regulations and set the goals, but we are compliance and not operations,” Rarick said. “We provide linkage between the departments and get the right people in the room but know when it’s time to step back.”

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