Helping You Take Care of Business

Freeman provides a number of business and financial services as a courtesy to patients. These include:

  • Verification of insurance coverage
  • Estimates on charges for procedures
  • Estimates on the patient portion of charges, as determined by the patient’s insurance plan
  • Billing of primary and secondary insurance carriers
  • Answering questions from insurance carriers
  • Providing itemized bills to patients, when requested
  • Financial assistance for qualifying patients
  • Online bill pay
  • Payment plans

Patients who would like price quotes or to learn more about hospital charges should contact Freeman Patient Accounts at 417.347.6686.

Looking to pay a bill?

Pay hospital charges online, or explore payment plans and discounts.

Online Bill Pay

Federal and State Financial Assistance

Freeman provides a number of business and financial services as a courtesy to patients. These include:

  • Verification of insurance coverage
  • Estimates on charges for procedures
  • Estimates on the patient portion of charges, as determined by the patient’s insurance plan
  • Billing of primary and secondary insurance carriers
  • Answering questions from insurance carriers
  • Providing itemized bills to patients, when requested
  • Financial assistance for qualifying patients
  • Online bill pay
  • Payment plans

Patients who would like price quotes or to learn more about hospital charges should contact Freeman Patient Accounts at 417.347.6686.

Crime Victims Compensation Program

Helps victims with out-of-pocket expenses from crime-related injuries

Go to Program

Supplemental Security Income

Helps the aged, blind, and disabled who have little or no income

Go to SSA Website

Financial Assistance

Great News! Completed applications can now be emailed to [email protected].

Please note that all completed applications will be reviewed and considered within 14 business days.

Medicaid

Various options available to qualifying low-income individuals:

Medicare Supplemental Program

Various programs supplement basic Medicare coverage for seniors:

Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Program

Provides women diagnosed with precancerous or cancerous breast or cervical conditions access to Medicaid benefits during treatment

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Women, Infants and Children Program

Helps low-income women, infants, and children receive nutrition guidance, health screenings, and food

Go to Program

Freeman Health System Service Area Map

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Financial Policies

Freeman provides quality care to all who need it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If you do not have health insurance or worry that you may not be able to pay for part or all of your care, we may be able to help. Freeman provides financial assistance to patients based on income and financial needs.

Federal and state laws require all hospitals to seek payment for care provided. This means unpaid bills can ultimately be turned over to a collection agency, which can affect credit status. Therefore, it is important to contact Patient Accounts if you think you may experience a problem paying your bill.

We treat all questions and personal information with confidentiality and courtesy.

Freeman NHSC Financial Policy with Sliding Scale

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Payment options

The following options apply only to the charges on your hospital bill. For physician bills, please contact the physician’s office regarding payment options.

  • Credit cards
    Freeman accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express
  • Online bill pay
  • Freeman Financial Assistance Program
    Following denial of any available government program, applicants may qualify for the Freeman Financial Assistance Program. Approval is based on gross income compared to federal poverty guidelines. To see if you qualify, ask your financial counselor, account representative, or cashier for an application.
  • Download a English application
  • Download a Spanish application
  • Payment plan
    Freeman offers a payment plan that can be established prior to service, at the time of your service, or after receiving service. Please discuss payment options during your admission process, or contact Patient Accounts for assistance after services have been rendered to establish your payment plan.
  • Self-pay discount
    For patients without insurance, Freeman offers a 40% self-pay discount. This discount may not apply to elective procedures.

To learn more about or apply for any of these payment options, call us, visit the Freeman Patient Accounts office or visit the Admissions desk at Freeman West, Freeman East or Freeman Neosho.

Get help with your bill

For help with your bill before or during your visit, contact a financial counselor, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm Monday – Friday at 417.347.6660.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to call or visit to find out how we can help. In addition, you can read the answers to frequently asked questions.

Freeman Eligibility Partners

Freeman is committed to helping you understand your healthcare payment options. To help with enrollment in a variety of assistance programs, we have created a certified and highly-trained outreach team: Freeman Eligibility Partners.

Learn More

Billing & Insurance FAQs

Provider-based outpatient status is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) designation. Simply put, it means a physician office is part of a system that includes hospitals and outpatient clinics. Clinics located miles away from the main hospital campus may still be considered part of the hospital.

For those with governmental health plans like Medicare and Medicaid, provider-based status means that Freeman is required to split the visit charges into separate line items – one for physician and one for facility fees. The facility portion of a charge is processed under the patient’s hospital benefits, and the physician portion of the charge is processed under the patient’s physician benefits.

For clinics that are not provider-based, the facility and physician components of a charge are combined and billed under the physician benefit section of the health insurance plan.

In a provider-based outpatient clinic, Medicare and Medicaid patients will see separate charges for the facility and physician services they receive. These charges will be combined on one statement as separate line items.

Adult Medicaid patients may be required to pay a copayment for both the facility and physician portions of their visit.

For patients covered by traditional Medicare, both the facility and physician services are subject to coinsurance. However, Medicare patients who carry supplemental insurance may not see a change in their out-of-pocket costs.

Coinsurance and deductibles are typically picked up by supplemental and secondary insurance plans. Medicare patients with supplemental or secondary plans should not see any difference in their out-of-pocket responsibility. However, we recommend you verify your benefit coverage with your insurance company.

Private insurance companies and Medicare Advantage Plans are not required to follow the same provider-based billing rules required by traditional Medicare and Medicaid. For patients with private insurance, the facility component of the office visit is billed as part of the physician bill and will be processed by the insurance company under the patient’s physician benefits.

Please ask your insurance company if the services you are seeking are covered under your benefit plan and how they will be processed so you can determine your financial responsibility. Please note that provider-based billing does not change the services that your insurance covers.

Freeman physician billing staff would be happy to help with questions. Please feel free to call 417.347.8400 or 800.626.3972. You may also visit us at Freeman Business Center, 3220 McClelland Boulevard, Joplin, Missouri.

As a participating Medicare provider, we are required to screen Medicare patients using the MSP questionnaire. At each visit, you will be asked the MSP questions. These questions help us determine if Medicare or another payer should process your insurance claim as primary.

We have a number of options for those struggling to pay medical bills, including payment plans and a financial assistance program. To learn more, please call 417.347.8400 or 800.626.3972.

The Patient Accounts department is open 8 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday. We are located at 3220 McClelland Boulevard (front door), Joplin, Missouri, a few blocks west of Freeman Hospital West. We welcome patients to visit without an appointment to ask questions and express concerns about their hospital bills.

Before your procedure, please refer to your insurance handbook or call your insurance provider to obtain details regarding your benefits. The hospital admitting staff will gladly help verify your benefits and provide an estimate of the patient portion of the bill, either during preregistration or when you register for admission.

Patients who would like price quotes or to learn more about hospital charges should contact Freeman Patient Accounts at 417.347.3539.

Yes. Freeman offers a number of payment options to help patients receive the healthcare they need while making payments on the patient portion of the bill. You may be asked to pay the estimated patient portion of your bill prior to receiving nonemergency healthcare; however, in many cases, you may be able to receive services by providing a deposit or making other payment arrangements.

  • For help with your bill before or during your visit: Contact a financial counselor, 8 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday.
  • Joplin (Choose number according to the first letter of the patient’s last name.)
  • A-L: 417.347.413
  • M-Z: 417.347.4136
  • Neosho
  • 417.347.4336
  • For help with your account following your visit:
  • 417.347.6686
  • 888.707.4500 (toll free)

Yes. Freeman offers financial assistance to qualifying patients. To be considered, simply complete a Financial Assistance Application providing proof of income and family size. Freeman determines eligibility based on Federal Poverty Guidelines. Patients who meet eligibility guidelines receive adjustments ranging from 35-100% of the patient portion of the bill, depending on income and family size. Freeman does not limit this assistance to self-pay patients; you may be eligible even if you have health insurance.

You can obtain an application at any Freeman registration/admission area or the Patient Accounts office.

You may return your application to any Freeman registration/admissions area or the Patient Accounts office. Or mail your application to Freeman Patient Accounts, 1102 West 32nd Street, Joplin, MO 64804.

Yes. Freeman bills most commercial payers, Medicare, and Missouri Medicaid as a courtesy to patients. Patients are responsible for providing a current copy of their insurance information on each visit to Freeman. Failure to provide current insurance at time of service may result in a denial of your insurance claim.

Freeman bills for inpatient hospitalization and other services that included nursing or support staff to facilitate patient care. The health system also bills for diagnostic services such as laboratory tests, radiology services, and therapy services.

Some physician and professional charges are billed separately. You may get bills from physicians who provided treatment while you were hospitalized at Freeman; you may also receive bills for radiology interpretations, cardiac testing and other specialized services that come from a provider other than Freeman.

Please contact Patient Accounts at 417.347.6660 to have an itemized bill sent to your home. Or to obtain an itemized bill on demand, visit our office 8 am-4:30 pm Monday-Friday, Freeman Business Center (front door), 3220 McClelland Boulevard, Joplin, Missouri.

If the insurance company denies charges as a noncovered, Freeman will bill these charges to the patient or responsible party. If the insurance company denies charges or dates of service due to medical necessity or lack of prior authorization/approval, Freeman may attempt to appeal the denial on behalf of the patient. However, the patient may still be held responsible for these charges if the insurance company refuses to reverse the denial.

Insurance companies consider payment of the patient portion as the total payment. Failure to collect the patient portion may affect the contract between Freeman and your insurance company. Freeman takes your healthcare and a commitment to our community seriously; we would not want to provide elective services to patients that could result in financial burden to the patient.

The federal government mandates that hospitals provide emergency care regardless of a person’s ability to pay for it. This law is known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. The practice of identifying estimated costs for emergency treatment could discourage people from seeking the care to which they are entitled and the hospital is obligated to provide.

The Emergency Room has an obligation to treat and evaluate each patient with an initial screening exam. The medical screening exam is performed by clinical staff and may consist of taking vital signs and asking pertinent questions regarding your health and symptoms. Should you elect to leave prior to receiving full emergency services, you may be billed for the initial medical screening or assessment.

Freeman verifies your benefits and the estimated patient portion of your bill at or prior to the time of service, based on the information we receive from your insurance company and the treatment prescribed. Occasionally, prescribed services change on the treating physician’s orders, resulting in treatment that the registrar was unaware of at the time of estimate. These changes can affect the patient’s out-of-pocket expenses. Please note that identified patient portions are estimates and your insurance company determines the final patient liability upon payment of services rendered.

Freeman obtains information about your benefits from your insurance company to determine the patient portion of your bill. Your insurance company provides benefit information based on your previously paid claims. If previous claims have not processed, those payments may reduce your out-of-pocket liability, resulting in a change to your out-of-pocket expectations. Once Freeman identifies this, we will quickly initiate a refund to you if appropriate.

As the only locally owned, not-for-profit health system in the area, Freeman provides full-service healthcare 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We offer comprehensive services, including state-of-the-art emergency and trauma services, cancer care, heart care, orthopaedics, neurosurgery, and behavioral healthcare. We use the latest techniques, best practices and cutting-edge technologies to provide the community with life-saving healthcare close to home. This level of care is expensive, and Freeman continually looks for ways to offset this expense through partnerships with community philanthropists.

If you have a balance due to Freeman and do not pay that balance, your account may be turned over to an outside collection agency. However, Freeman offers a number of payment options and financial assistance for those who qualify. Please contact Patient Accounts for help with payment options and financial assistance. We send accounts to collection agencies as a last resort and attempt to work out payment arrangements before this happens.

If this has happened to you, it’s because our records reflect you have an outstanding balance. While you have a right to appeal your insurance company’s failure to pay, you are still responsible for the balance due during the appeal process.

Additional Billing Resources

Price Transparency

Price transparency is a term used in healthcare and by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) as a rule that requires hospitals to provide prices for standard charges that are in the hospitals charge description master (CDM). This rule requires hospitals to make prices available to their consumers so they can make more informed healthcare decisions.

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No Surprises Act

Freeman Health System is committed to our patients’ billing rights. We comply with all state and federal regulations, including the No Surprises Act. Visit cms.gov to learn more.

Patient Estimates

You can obtain an estimate of your healthcare costs directly from your health insurance. Please find the link below for our most commonly utilized health plans to obtain an estimate today.

If you have any difficulty with obtaining an estimate directly from your health plan or you have a health plan not listed above, you can contact Freeman for an estimate at 417.347.3543, 417.347.6686 or toll free at 888.707.4500.