Understanding Your Bill

As a patient at Slidell Memorial Hospital, you or your insurance company will receive a bill for services provided by the hospital, as well as a separate bill from any physicians from whom you received care.

Pathologists, radiologists, cardiologists, anesthesiologists and other specialists are required to submit separate bills. If you have questions about these bills, please call the number printed on the statement you received.

If you have questions concerning your SMH bill, please contact us at (985) 646-5506, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Or you can pay your bill online.

Please note: If you receive care at Slidell Memorial Hospital, you will receive a bill from Slidell Memorial. If you receive care at Ochsner - Northshore, you will receive a bill from Ochsner.

If You Have Health Insurance

We will need a copy of your insurance card. We may also need the insurance forms supplied by your employer or the insurance company. You will be asked to assign benefits from the insurance company directly to the hospital.

If You Have an HMO or PPO

Your plan may have special requirements, such as a second surgical opinion or pre-certification for certain tests or procedures. It is your responsibility to make sure the requirements of your plan have been met. If these requirements are not followed, you may be financially responsible for all or part of the services rendered in the hospital.

If You Are Covered by Medicare or Medicaid

To verify eligibility and process your claim, we will need a copy of your Medicare or Medicaid card. Please be aware that these programs specifically exclude payment for certain items and services. Deductibles and copayments are the patient's responsibility.

If You Don’t Have Insurance

A financial counselor will discuss payment arrangements with you. A hospital representative is available to assist you in applying for Medicaid or other government assistance programs. Learn more about our financial assistance program.

Insurance Pre-Authorization

Many insurance policies now require your hospital stay to be pre-authorized. This is the responsibility of the patient and the patient's doctor. If you are uncertain about the status of your pre-authorization for outpatient services or testing, please contact your physician's office. If you are uncertain about the status of your pre-authorization while you are in the hospital, you may call the Case Management Department at (985) 280-8920.

Insurance Plans Accepted at SMH

SMH accepts a variety of insurance plans, including Aetna, Blue Cross, Humana and United. View a list of all insurance plans accepted.

Facility-Based Physician Groups at SMH

Contact your insurance to find out if these physicians are contracted with your health plan to learn what services are covered. View a list of facility-based physician groups.

No Surprise Billing

When you get emergency care or get treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing. To learn more about your rights and protections click here.

Hospital Price Transparency

You have reached the federally required section of our website that contains the charges for the services we provide within our facility. While we provide this information to comply with federal regulations, healthcare billing is complex. It is extremely important for you, as the consumer, to understand that standard charges may not be a relevant starting point for estimating what costs you may incur during an episode of care, and the amount actually paid by a patient will depend on that patient's insurance coverage, policy provisions and other factors. Everyone's case is different based on that patient's medical condition.

The charges displayed include hospital charges and may not include charges that are billed separately by the physician or other professional fees. Furthermore, the actual amount paid by a patient will depend on the patient's insurance coverage, as benefit plans very greatly.

IF YOU HAVE COMMERCIAL INSURANCE:

• Contact your insurance company to understand all of the factors affecting your financial responsibility.
• Numerous factors, such as type of plan, co-pay, co-insurance, deductible, out-of-pocket maximums, provider network and other limitations, will affect your financial responsibility to a hospital.
• The prices reflected on this site do not include charges for the physician or other professional fees, such as diagnostic imaging, anesthesia or lab work.
• The prices reflected on this site do not include any negotiated discounts between your insurance company and the hospital.

IF YOU HAVE MEDICARE:

• Medicare has many different parts, and not everyone has the same type of Medicare coverage. Medicare will pay for many of your healthcare expenses but not all of them.
• Special rules apply if you have employer group health insurance coverage through your job.
• If you have a supplemental health insurance policy, it may cover some costs that Medicare does not cover.
• The best way to be sure of what your Medicare plan covers is to call 1-800-MEDICARE, or visit the website at www.mymedicare.gov.

IF YOU HAVE MEDICAID:

• Contact your local Medicaid office at 1-888-544-7996, or visit the Louisiana Department of Health to determine all the factors affecting your financial responsibility.
• Generally, Medicaid recipients are not responsible for any portion of the bill.

IF YOU ARE UNINSURED:

• Please contact our Financial Clearance Center at 504-842-0550 or 1-855-808-4100 to obtain a price quote for your scheduled service.
• As required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hospitals have a written financial assistance policy that includes eligibility criteria, the basis for calculating charges and the method for applying for financial assistance.

Click here for a list of Slidell Memorial Hospital standard charges. (UPDATED 12.28.2023)

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Click here for billing estimates.