Below are some frequently asked questions about billing, insurance and financial assistance. If you are unable to find the answer that you need, please contact us at patient_financial_services@camc.org or call (304) 388-7530.  

Ultimately, you are (or your parent or guardian). If you have insurance, CAMC will first bill your insurance for you. Any balance remaining on your bill after insurance has made its payments is your responsibility. 

In addition to your bill from CAMC, you may receive invoices from physicians who may have provided services to you during your stay. Examples include: your personal physician, a specialist physician who assisted in your care (such as a doctor reading your X-rays), or the emergency room physician. 

These providers work as a team, but they are all independent businesses. It's like shopping at a mall. All the businesses are located in one place and you may make many purchases during a single trip, but you'll still pay separately for each purchase at the different stores. It's the same at the hospital where different providers help with your care. 

You may receive a bill from: 

  • General Anesthesia Services  
  • Associated Radiologists  
  • A surgeon or specialist 
  • Your personal physician, if they treated you in the hospital 
  • Ambulance service (air or ground)  

Independent laboratory and radiology services will also bill you separately for reading and interpreting EKG's, X-rays, EEG's and lab work. 

If you have questions about any of the bills sent by one of the other care providers, you should contact them directly. 

There are many possible reasons. Normally, your health plan will send you an explanation of its benefits or payments (sometimes called an EOB or EOP) to tell you why a certain claim may have been denied or only partially paid. You should contact your insurance plan directly if you have questions. 

No. CAMC will file the claim for you (provided, of course, that you have given us permission and accurate insurance coverage information). After your insurance company has made its payments, you may receive a bill from us asking for payment of the remaining balance (if there is any). 

Let the CAMC scheduling, pre-registration or admitting office know. You may qualify for free care from CAMC if your family income is equal to or less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level. CAMC also provides assistance to patients to obtain health care coverage through Medicaid and other government programs. 

Finally, we offer a 20 percent discount to all patients who have no insurance (uninsured), regardless of income level. Call (304) 388-7530 to learn more out more about these programs. 

If you are visiting our hospitals, you may speak directly to a financial counselor. They have offices close to the admitting/registration areas as well as the emergency rooms at each hospital location. Or, you may reach them directly by calling one of our financial counseling offices: 

CAMC accepts cash, checks and all major credit cards. You can also use our online bill pay site. 

Payments may be mailed to:  

Charleston Area Medical Center  

PO Box 1547 

Charleston, West Virginia 25326 

Or you may pay directly at any of the CAMC hospital cashier's offices or registration sites. 

Yes. CAMC will help set up a reasonable schedule of monthly payments for your hospital bill. For more information, call (304) 388-7530. 

You are welcome to call (304) 388-7530 to talk to any of our customer service representatives. We will do our best to help you. 

Yes. You are entitled to receive a detailed bill. If you find that we have made an error, contact us at (304) 388-7530. We will be happy to investigate the bill and make corrections. 

Your daily room rate includes many items in addition to the room itself. Normally, incidental items such as aspirins, bandages and common patient care supplies are included in the basic room rate. No additional charge is made for over 85 percent of the consumable items provided.  

There may be additional charges. Examples are: charges for nursing care services ordered by your physicians, X-rays, laboratory tests, blood products, surgical implants, medications and, possibly, operating room and related services.  

You may receive separate bills from others for services rendered by doctors who helped care for you during your stay at CAMC. Examples include: radiologists (who read X-rays), anesthesiologists, surgeons and consulting physicians. These providers work at the hospital, but they don't work for the hospital. So, they bill separately. 

You should send a letter of appeal to your insurer. Most health insurance plans also provide a toll-free number for claim denial questions. The exact procedure may differ among insurance companies. Call your insurer for more information. 

In some cases, your personal physician may be able to help resolve a denial from an insurance company. If CAMC has made an error resulting in a denial, we will, of course, correct the error. However, CAMC cannot "make" an insurance company pay a claim. 

Possibly. You should always check your insurance policy or call your insurance company to see whether you are required to obtain pre-authorization or pre-certification for hospital services. Different insurance companies have varying requirements as to what needs to be approved in advance. CAMC does not obtain the pre-certification or pre-authorization for you. It is something you or your physician must do. If it is required, and you don't obtain prior approval, you may find that your insurance company will not pay the bill.