Luis Hospital to offer bill amnesty
Published: June 19, 2012
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ST. CROIX - Cash-strapped Luis Hospital has instituted an amnesty program which offers significant discounts for overdue payments in hopes of bringing in revenue to help meet it financial obligations.
The amount of overdue accounts receivables that patients owe out of pocket to the hospital is about $26 million, according to Luis Hospital spokeswoman Xaulanda Simmonds-Emmanuel. The hospital has launched the amnesty initiative to recoup funds, but it is also a way for the patients to benefit with as much as 50 percent discounts, she said.
Chief Executive Officer Jeff Nelson said that while the hospital continues to struggle financially, hospital administrators also understand that the community also is struggling and hopes the amnesty program provides some relief to both.
"While the goal of the Amnesty Program is to recoup much needed funds for JFL, it creates a win-win situation for everyone," he said. "It is an opportunity for the hospital to collect on past-due accounts that may be difficult to collect, while offering a significant discount to our patients."
Simmonds-Emmanuel said discounts are determined by the age of the account and the date by which the total balance is paid, with older accounts being given a bigger discount if they are paid in full in the next few weeks.
- Accounts that have been delinquent for more than two years will be eligible for a 50 percent discount if paid by June 29 or a 25 percent discount if paid by July 31.
- Accounts that have been delinquent less than two years will be eligible for a 30 percent discount if paid by June 29 or a 15 percent discount if paid by July 31.
Simmonds-Emmanuel said the last time an Amnesty Program was offered by the hospital was in July through October of 2004. During that time, the hospital was able to collect close to $750,000, she said.
"The hope is that the community will take full advantage of this rare opportunity and this amnesty program will be even more successful," she said.
The amnesty program was one of two items approved by the hospital board last month about actions the hospital could take to find ways to recover revenue. The hospital board also approved conducting public forums, which were held last week, in hopes of creating additional cost-cutting and revenue-generating measures.
Residents with outstanding balances can call the hospital to find out about how the program can benefit them and how they can begin making payments. For more information call 772-7491.
- Contact reporter Fiona Stokes at 714-9149 or email fstokes@dailynews.vi.
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