Connecticut General Statutes 19a-509b – Hospital bed funds
(a) As used in this section, (1) “hospital bed fund” means any gift of money, stock, bonds, financial instruments or other property made by any donor for the purpose of establishing a fund to provide medical care, including, but not limited to, inpatient or outpatient care, to patients at a hospital. A hospital bed fund may be established by inter vivos gift, bequest, subscription, solicitation, dedication or any other means; (2) “hospital” means hospital as defined in section 19a-490; (3) “collection agent” means any person, either employed by or under contract to, a hospital, who is engaged in the business of collecting payment from consumers for medical services provided by the hospital, and includes, but is not limited to, attorneys performing debt collection activities.
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 19a-509b
- Bequest: Property gifted by will.
- Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Donor: The person who makes a gift.
- Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Hospital: means an establishment for the lodging, care and treatment of persons suffering from disease or other abnormal physical or mental conditions and includes inpatient psychiatric services in general hospitals. See Connecticut General Statutes 19a-490
- Inter vivos: Transfer of property from one living person to another living person.
- Person: means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or association. See Connecticut General Statutes 19a-490
(b) (1) Each hospital which holds or administers one or more hospital bed funds shall post or cause to be posted in a conspicuous public place in each patient admitting location, including, but not limited to, the admissions office, emergency room, social services department and patient accounts or billing office, information in English and Spanish regarding the availability of its hospital bed funds, in plain language in a forty-eight to seventy-two point type size. Such information shall include: (A) Notification of the existence of hospital bed funds and the hospital’s program to administer them and (B) the person to contact for application information.
(2) Each hospital which has a hospital bed fund shall train staff, including but not limited to, hospital social workers, discharge planners and billing personnel concerning the existence of such fund, the eligibility requirements and the procedures for application.
(c) Each hospital that holds or administers one or more hospital bed funds shall make available in a place and manner allowing individual members of the public to easily obtain it, a one-page summary in English and Spanish describing hospital bed funds and how to apply for them. The summary shall also describe any other policies regarding the provision of charity care and reduced cost services for the indigent as reported by the hospital to the Health Systems Planning Unit of the Office of Health Strategy pursuant to section 19a-649 and shall clearly distinguish hospital bed funds from other sources of financial assistance. The summary shall include notification that the patient is entitled to reapply upon rejection, and that additional funds may become available on an annual basis. The summary shall be available in the patient admissions office, emergency room, social services department and patient accounts or billing office, and from any collection agent. If during the admission process or during its review of the financial resources of the patient, the hospital reasonably believes the patient will have limited funds to pay for any portion of the patient’s hospitalization not covered by insurance, the hospital shall provide the summary to each such patient.
(d) Each hospital which holds or administers one or more hospital bed funds shall require its collection agents to include a summary as provided in subsection (c) of this section in all bills and collection notices sent by such collection agents.
(e) Applicants for assistance from hospital bed funds shall be notified in writing of any award or any rejection and the reason for such rejection. Patients who cannot pay any outstanding medical bill at the hospital shall be allowed to apply or reapply for hospital bed funds.
(f) Each hospital which holds or administers one or more hospital bed funds shall maintain and annually compile, at the end of the fiscal year of the hospital, the following information: (1) The number of applications for hospital bed funds; (2) the number of patients receiving hospital bed fund grants and the actual dollar amounts provided to each patient from such fund; (3) the fair market value of the principal of each individual hospital bed fund, or the principal attributable to each bed fund if held in a pooled investment; (4) the total earnings for each hospital bed fund or the earnings attributable to each hospital bed fund; (5) the dollar amount of earnings reinvested as principal if any; and (6) the dollar amount of earnings available for patient care. The information compiled pursuant to this subsection shall be permanently retained by the hospital and made available to the Health Systems Planning Unit upon request.