Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

Charity Care:The Hospital's charity care program is designed to assist those patients who are either uninsured, underinsured or have limited financial resources that impact their ability to fully pay for their hospital care. Before completing an application for charity care, patients are first asked to investigate whether or not they may be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran's Benefits or other governmental or public assistance programs.The Hospital's qualifications for charity care are as follows:1. Charity care is limited to medically necessary services. Patients receiving certain elective services, such as those considered cosmetic, investigational or experimental, are expected to make payment arrangements in advance, as these types of services are not covered by the charity care program.2. The patient's family income must be at or below 350% of the current Federal Poverty Income Guidelines for their applicable family size.The Hospital maintains records to identify and monitor the level of charity care it provides. These records include the amount of charges foregone for services and supplies furnished under its charity care policy, the estimated cost of those services and supplies and equivalent service statistics. The following information measures the level of the charity care provided during the year ended September 30, 2024:Equivalent percentage of charity care services to all services 0.75%In addition, the Hospital incurs a payment shortfall in the treatment of Medicaid patients. This government program reimburses for medical services at less than the costs incurred to provide those services. In September 30, 2024 and 2023, the Hospital incurred a shortfall of approximately $11,624,296 and $10,033,824, respectively, related to treating Medicaid patients.The Hospital also provided other community benefits upon which no monetary value has been placed.-Offers free smoking cessation classes.-Collaborates with other community agencies in publishing a community wellness calendar twice a year.