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CommonSpirit Health Suspends Billing for COVID-19 Tests, Treatment

Analysis  |  By John Commins  
   March 18, 2020

CommonSpirit's announcement is in line with a national push by hospital stakeholders and policy experts to improve access and affordability for coronavirus testing and treatment.

Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health announced this week that it will suspend billing for patients undergoing tests and treatments at its 142 hospital and 700 other care venues in 21 states.

"The last thing our patients should worry about if they experience symptoms characteristic of this coronavirus is the cost of seeking care, CommonSpirit CEO Lloyd H. Dean said Tuesday in a media release.

"While we cannot yet know how COVID-19 will spread in the days and weeks ahead, our care sites will remain available to our communities," Dean said. "The most important thing now is for people who experience symptoms of the coronavirus to contact their health care provider and seek medical care if directed to do so."

CommonSpirit's announcement is in line with a national push by hospital stakeholders and policy experts to improve access and affordability for coronavirus testing and treatment.

Earlier this month, several states announced that they would waive some costs for coronavirus testing to address concerns that the access to care would be cost-prohibitive for poor and uninsured people.   

“The last thing our patients should worry about if they experience symptoms characteristic of this coronavirus is the cost of seeking care.”

John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

CommonSpirit Health will suspend billing for patients undergoing tests and treatments at its 142 hospital and 700 other care venues in 21 states.

Several states have announced that they would waive some costs for coronavirus testing to address concerns about care access and affordability.


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