MRHA - Hospitalization Costs

Hospitalization Costs

Overview

You will be held 100% responsible for the costs of your care if:

You do not have a valid Ontario Health Card or Canadian private or group health insurance **
You do not have valid Canadian provincial health insurance or Canadian private or group health Insurance
You do not have Canadian Federal Plan coverage
You are a foreign national (non-Canadian resident)
You are a foreign student without valid OHIP coverage
You are an Embassy employee or diplomat without valid insurance

**Please note that if you are a patient from Quebec, you will be charged an additional fee associated with the service provided to offset the funding difference between provinces.

Costs of your care can include fees for inpatient services, emergency services, out-patient service, ambulance, appliances, radiology, laboratory work, procedures performed, exams, etc. You will be required to provide a credit card number/expiry date, and the name of the cardholder, as it appears on the credit card.

Physicians and Anesthesiologists will also bill for their services in addition to the hospital charges. These charges vary and are to be discussed directly with the physicians.

Paying Your Bill

Patient Accounts, including preferred accommodation, ambulance fees, and other uninsured procedures are due at the time of service (or discharge). A receipt will be issued upon payment of account.

You can pay your hospital bills:

In MyChart by following the instructions at "Pay Your Hospital Bills in MyChart"
At Patient Registration which is open from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm seven days a week. You may pay for your bill at Patient Registration by: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Interact (Debit Card) , Cash, or Personal and certified cheques payable to Almonte General Hospital or Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital

For your protection, AGH and CPDMH does not accept or process credit card payments sent via email or text message.

About Your Bill

About my bill

Please make sure that your health-care coverage is valid before receiving care at AGH or CPDMH and that we have your correct address and insurance coverage (e.g., OHIP number and version code) when you register.

In some situations, you may need to pay for health-care services you receive at AGH or CPDMH. If and how much you pay depends on the health-care coverage you have.

We may ask you to provide more information or fill out extra paperwork so that we can make sure that your health-care services are paid for through a government program or your private insurance plan.

We will do our best to tell you about any costs that are not covered beforehand and talk to you about payment options. We cannot provide a price list for medical services as every treatment is unique. For a price list of medical devices and appliances, please contact Accounts Receivable: agh.receivable@mrha.ca or cpdmh.receivables@mrha.ca

Patients without Canadian provincial or federal health-care coverage must pay extra for doctor consultations and other services. These fees are charged directly by the doctor.

Read on to learn how different health-care coverages may affect your hospital bill.

Coverage Information

Patients with an Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) card

If you have a valid Ontario health insurance card, OHIP will pay for most of the health-care services you receive. Learn what OHIP covers.

The following services are not covered by OHIP. You will need to pay for these:

Most ambulance services.
Private and semi-private accommodation.
Some assistive devices, such as crutches, canes, splints, casts and gel wraps.
Cosmetic surgery.
Delisted procedures, such as tattoo removal, repair of benign skin lesions, travel vaccinations and earlobe repair from earrings.
Hospital chronic care co-payment.
Certain ophthalmology (eye) procedures and implants.

If you have private insurance, your insurance plan may cover the costs of some of these services. Ask your private insurance provider.

If your OHIP card or version code is not valid, we will contact you to ask for updated information. If we cannot get valid OHIP information from you, you may be billed directly for the service(s) you received.

To update your OHIP card or version code with AGH or CPDMH please call Registration.

Patients with a health card from another Canadian province or territory

Please show your valid health card from another province or territory in Canada during registration at The Ottawa Hospital. Most health-care services you receive in Ontario will be paid for by your home province or territory through an agreement between the provinces and territories.

If you are a resident of Quebec, your inpatient stay at The Ottawa Hospital may require pre-approval from the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ).

Note: Home care services are not covered for out-of-province patients. Check with your home province’s or territory’s health insurance office for a list of expenses not covered. 

Patients in the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)

If you are covered under the  Interim Federal Health Program, tell the clerk during registration at The Ottawa Hospital. Please also give them a copy of your refugee papers and unique client identifier (UCI) number.

If your coverage under this program has lapsed or expired, contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at 1-888-242-2100. 

Patients with no provincial health coverage and no private insurance

If you do not have valid Canadian provincial, federal health insurance or private insurance, you must pay all estimated fees in advance.

We do not provide a price list for medical services as every treatment is unique.

For a price list of medical devices and appliances please contact Accounts Receivable: agh.receivables@mrha.ca or cpdmh.receivables@mrha.ca.

Physician fees are incremental and are charged directly to the patient by the consulting physician(s).

Patients with private insurance coverage

We do not provide a price list for medical services as every treatment is unique.

After insurance companies receive your hospital bill, they will often send you a questionnaire to confirm that you were admitted to the hospital. Please complete the questionnaire right away and return it to the insurance company to ensure that they process your bill. If you do not return it, they may refuse to make a payment.

The hospital will send the bill directly to you if:

You do not provide your health insurance information when you register.

Your insurance company refuses to make a payment.

If you are a non-Canadian resident and have private insurance coverage, we will need proof of coverage. See the Travelers who reside outside Canada section.

Travellers who reside outside Canada

If you are seeking medical help, contact your travel insurance provider. They can guide you through the process and talk to you about which medical services are covered under your policy. When you come to the Hospital for care, be sure to bring your travel insurance details with you, including:

The name of your insurance company.

The policy number.
The amount of the policy coverage.
A letter or guarantee of payment from the insurance company.

If required documentation is not provided, the hospital may charge you for appointments, assessments, diagnostic tests, procedures, treatments, assistive devices, drugs and follow-up appointments. You must pay these fees in advance.

If you are an embassy employee receiving coverage through your embassy, make sure you understand the specific procedures and requirements for accessing medical care under this coverage. Your embassy’s human resources department or insurance liaison should be able to guide you.

AGH and CPMDH are publicly funded through the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the province of Ontario, Canada. Our mandate is to provide care to residents of Ontario and other Canadian provinces if temporarily located in Ontario. AGH and CPDMH are not funded to provide services to residents of other countries.

As a steward of limited public resources, we will pursue full recovery of all costs when providing care to uninsured patients. These efforts will be coordinated through the Hospital's Finance Department and a third-party collection agency if needed. 

Patients receiving other provincial or federal benefits

If you are receiving Welfare or Family Benefits, the Guaranteed Annual Income System (GAINS) Supplement or Home and Community Care Support Services, Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and receive an invoice for health-care services at The Ottawa Hospital, please attach a confirmation of benefits (such as a Statement of Welfare or a GAINS Supplement Statement) to the invoice from AGH or CPDMH and email supporting documents to agh.receivables@mrha.ca or cpdmh.receivables@mrha.ca.

Patients receiving Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits

When you register at AGH or CPDMH, and before any follow-up visits, please tell the registration clerk that the injury is related to your workplace. The clerk will then make sure any costs related to your care are sent through the right coverage. If you have an existing WSIB claim, please give the WSIB claim number to the registration clerk before you receive treatment.

You are responsible for following up with your employer and WSIB to ensure that your file is up to date.

Note: Your employer is responsible for the cost of the ambulance in workplace injury cases. WSIB does not cover the first ambulance.

If you are treated in the Emergency Department for a work-related injury and have not yet submitted a claim with WSIB, please tell your health-care team that this was a work-related injury.

Patients and employers can submit a WSIB claim form online.

Preferred Room Type for Overnight Stays

Our hospitals offers three types of accommodation to suit your financial and social needs as well as the requirements dictated by your health.

Please arrive prepared with your additional insurance coverage information. We require your policy number, certificate number or ID number. In addition, if you are covered under a group plan, you will be asked for you group number and the name of your employer. If you do NOT have a valid OHIP card or you are not covered under a group plan you will be required to provide a credit card number/expiry date, and the name of the cardholder, as it appears on the credit card.

Standard Wards:

With three/four beds, this is the basic accommodation for the Medical Surgical Unit. Cost is covered entirely by OHIP for Ontario residents insured under the plan; for out-of-province patients with other valid provincial insurance; and for federal plans such as WSIB, and RCMP/DVA/CAF group members. Exception: Quebec coverage where physician fees are charged to the patient.

Semi-private:

This is a hospital room with just two occupants. There is an extra charge for semi-private accommodation above the cost covered by OHIP and most other Canadian provincial and federal plans.

Private:

This is a one-bed room. There is an extra charge for private accommodation above the cost covered by OHIP and most other Canadian provincial and federal plans.

Upon admission, you may request the type of accommodation you prefer, and we will try to meet your needs. Please note that rooms are assigned based on medical need as a first priority. It is the sole responsibility of the patient to check with your insurer to confirm your insurance coverage and limits. Many insurance companies do not cover 100% of hospital charges and you are responsible for any balances owed to the hospital and will be billed accordingly.

Ambulance Charges

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care sets a charge of $240.00 for using an ambulance. This amount is reduced to $45.00 if:

You are a resident of Ontario with a valid Ontario Health Card, AND
Using the ambulance was medically necessary (usually determined by the attending physician).

If you are not an insured resident, or if using an ambulance was not medically necessary, the hospital is required to charge you the $240.00.

Who pays the $45.00?

The $45.00 is payable by you unless:

You were receiving professional services through Home and Community Care when you were transported to the hospital. If this applies to you, please forward your statement to your Community Care Coordinator.
You are on social assistance or disability assistance. If this applies to you, please forward your statement to your Case Worker for validation and return to the Almonte General Hospital Finance Department.
You were hurt at WORK and came to the hospital by ambulance directly from work. In this case, your employer pays the $45.00 directly to the hospital. All patients are responsible for providing the invoice to their employer. If you need an ambulance for the same injury later, the charge is paid by WSIB.

Resources

Replace a lost or stolen OHIP card

Renew an expired OHIP card

Replace or renew a health card from a different province or territory