As a patient at UCSF Medical Center or UCSF Children's Hospital, you may receive a bill from one of several offices. You may receive a bill from the hospital or medical center for its services and you may receive a bill from one or more doctors who provided your care.

For example, after a stay in the hospital, you most likely will receive two bills — one from the hospital and one from your doctor.

Hospital Bill

One bill is for hospital services, which includes room and board. If you had diagnostic tests such as X-rays, electrocardiograms (EKGs) or breathing tests, you will receive a bill indicating fees for the service provided by a technician and fees for the use of equipment and supplies involved with the test or service.

Initially, you'll receive a statement indicating the fees charged and the amount covered by your insurance company. This is not a bill but simply a statement. If there is a balance owed by you that was not covered by insurance, you'll receive a second document by mail. This is a bill indicating the amount you owe. If you have questions regarding these hospital fees or for billing inquiries, please call Patient Financial Services at (415) 673–1113

Physician Bill

This bill is from the physician who provided your care during your hospital stay or the doctor who read and interpreted your test results. Since this doctor is not an employee of the hospital, the service is billed separately. You are not paying twice for the same service. This bill is typically printed on tan or pink paper. If you have a question regarding the physician's bill, please call Physician Bill Customer Service at (415) 353–3333 or the number provided on the bill.

Here is a sample of a bill for physician services

Payment Tips

Please keep each statement separate. Do not combine your statements and submit one payment. Each office must be paid separately.

We accept American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa as well as personal check, cashier's check and money order.

Generally, you will receive a bill one to three weeks after you receive services from the doctors of UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Children's Hospital. If you have health insurance, our billing office will first bill your insurance carrier for all services. If your insurance plan does not cover a service or procedure or does not cover the entire cost, you will be responsible for the uncovered fees.

Medicare

If you are covered by Medicare, we will submit your claims to Medicare on your behalf. After Medicare makes its payment, we will bill your supplemental insurance carrier for the remaining balance. If you do not have supplemental insurance, you will be responsible for the balance.

Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program, a medical assistance program for low-income residents funded by the state and federal government. If you are covered under this program, please provide an eligibility card or other proof of eligibility for each month of service.

Self-Pay

If you don't have insurance or if you're seeking care that's not covered by your insurance plan, you're considered a self-pay patient.

UCSF Medical Center offers a discount to all self-pay patients. If you can't afford the discounted rate, you may qualify for government programs or our charity care assistance. Financial counselors are available to discuss your options and offer assistance in the financial planning of your medical care or services.

Payment is required within 30 days of billing, except for elective procedures. All elective procedures require a deposit unless patients are eligible for care under a government program or under our charity care policy. Deposit terms are determined by Financial Counseling based on the outstanding payment. To contact Financial Counseling, call (415) 353–1966.

 

The sample bill is in Portable Document Format (PDF). It can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it for free from Adobe's Web site.