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Billing

Billing

Call Customer Service at (833) 270-4530 with questions.

We appreciate you choosing Vail Health. As part of our quality service, we feel it is important that patients and caregivers are well-informed of our payment policies.

Vail Health now offers patients the option to go paperless and receive e-mail notifications regarding their statements.
 
If you have any questions about billing, please do not hesitate to fill out our Billing Inquiry Form or contact our Customer Service. Our financial team can help you understand your bills, explain what to expect during the billing process, help you make a plan to ensure payment of your health care expenses, and help you apply for financial assistance if needed.

For patients who need assistance with their bill, Vail Health’s financial assistance policy has been increased to 500% of the federal poverty guidelines and is available to supplement a patient’s out-of-pocket obligations. For context, a family of four making $131,000 or less annually would be eligible for financial assistance. Vail Health will work with each patient needing financial assistance, including sensitivity to any changes in employment or income. For help with financial assistance, please contact one of our counselors at (970) 477-3116.

Good Faith Estimate & No Surprise Medical Bills

If you would like to receive a "Good Faith Estimate" explaining how much your health care will cost, please visit our Estimate Your Cost of Care Page where you can find an online cost estimator. You can also call our Insurance Support team at (970) 777-2902. They would be happy to assist you.

We also fully support the “No Surprise Medical Bills” act and always work to provide accurate patient bills. Learn more about your patient rights as it relates to “Good Faith Estimates” and the “No Surprise Medical Bills” act here: 

Good Faith & No Surprise Medical Bills

Vail Health Services

Customer Service Center

Hours: Monday – Friday, 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM | Saturday: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Phone: (833) 270-4530
Fax: (970) 470-6440
 
Mail: Bills can be mailed to: PO Box 1150,  Vail, CO 81658
 
Please be aware that each time you receive care with Vail Health, or your doctor sends a lab or pathology specimen to the hospital, a new account will be opened. Each account generally ties to a date of service. In most cases, a summary description of services provided for that account should arrive about five days after care. At any time, you may request additional information about itemized charges by calling our Customer Service Center.

What We Bill For

Vail Health bills and collects for the following services. Pay your bill online.  
 
  • Beaver Creek Medical Center
  • Howard Head Sports Medicine
  • Cardiac Rehabilitation Center
  • Laboratory
  • Shaw Cancer Center
  • Sonnenalp Breast Center
  • Vail Health Clinics
    • Surgical Associates
    • Breast Care Clinic
    • Infectious Disease
    • Wound Care
    • Cardiovascular Center and Pulmonology Clinic
  • Vail Health Hospital
 

Services Billed Separately

Vail Health does not bill for the following services:
  • Anesthesia Partners of Colorado
  • Colorado Mountain Medical and Urgent Care
  • Durable Medical Equipment (such as Breg or Med Vantage)
  • Home Oxygen Vendors (such as Lincare or AlpinAire)
  • The Steadman Clinic
  • Vail Summit Orthopedics & Neurosurgery
  • Vail Valley Surgery Center
*This is not an exhaustive list.

What To Do Before You Need Care

We encourage you to become familiar with the terms and conditions of your health insurance coverage and review any changes each year. Understanding your insurance coverage can help you avoid unnecessary bills. If you are unsure of your co-pay responsibilities, please review your insurance card, call your insurance company, or call an Insurance Support Team representative at (970) 777-2902.

Billing Your Insurance Company

Vail Health will submit bills to your insurance company when complete information is supplied. Please remember that your policy is a contract between you and your insurance company, and you have the final responsibility for payment of your hospital bill. If your insurance company does not pay within 45 days of billing, please contact them to resolve the delay. Secondary insurance is billed after the primary insurance pays. If you were unable to provide complete billing information at the time of your visit, please phone the information to our Customer Service Center within 48 hours. For more information, please call (833) 270-4530.

Payment Options

Vail Health expects payment at the time services are rendered. Co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles and fees for non-covered services are expected at the time of service. If you are unable to pay your bill in full, please call (833) 270-4530 set up a payment plan. Bills are expected to be paid within 12 months.

Vail Health automatically provides a discount on billed charges for our patients who do not have insurance.  This discount will be reflected on the patient’s statement.  Contact our customer service at 833-270-4530 or email us at customerservice@vailhealth.org to answer any questions you may have.
 
Online: Pay your bill online by using Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express or Diners Club.
Mail: Or pay by cash, personal check or credit card via mail at: PO Box 1150, Vail, CO 81658.

Financial Counseling

Financial Assistance is available to establish the financial requirements for payment of services based on consistent compliance criteria incorporating individual patient financial conditions and circumstances. If you do not have health insurance and cannot pay in full at the time of service, please call our financial counselors at (970) 477-3116 (Vail) or (970) 569-7525 (Edwards).

FAQs

My bill is higher than anticipated. Why is this?

Costs of service are reviewed on an annual basis and are comparable to other mountain resort areas. If you received an estimate of anticipated costs, and it does not match your bill, you must keep in consideration that the estimate is only a range of costs, and not an actual price. If you have further questions/concerns about your bill, please call Customer Service at (833) 270-4530.

How/where can I pay my bill?

 
Online:  Online Bill Pay (You will not be able to pay your bill online if the guarantor's social security number is not listed within the billing software.)
 
Mail: PO BOX 1150 | Vail, CO 81658
 
Call: (833) 270-4530
 
Deliver:
  •     Vail Health Hospital Admissions in Vail
  •     Patient Accounts Office at 410 McGregor Drive in Gypsum. Office hours are 8:00AM – 4:30PM, Monday - Friday.

Can I set up payment plan? How?

Although we prefer to receive payment in full within 30 days, a payment plan option may be available to you. To speak with someone regarding our payment plan terms and setup, please call customer service at (833) 270-4530.
 

What financial assistance do you offer? With whom do I speak for more information?

Vail Health offers financial assistance to eligible patients who meet our income requirements.  Learn more about our financial assistance options.
 

Why can't you discuss my spouse's/adult child's medical information with me?

Due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we cannot discuss any person's account that is over the age of 18 without the patient's prior consent.
 

Why do I have several encounter numbers?

Each time you are seen by Vail Health, you will receive a new encounter number.  The exception is for monthly series accounts, such as physical therapy or cancer-related treatment, which are given a new encounter number on a monthly basis.
 

I was happy/unhappy with the care I received at your facility. With whom can I share my experience?

To provide feedback regarding the care you received at Vail Health Hospital, please visit our Patient Advocacy page where you'll find multiple options for providing feedback. 
 

Why doesn't my "Explanation of Benefits" match the amount you are billing me?

There are several reasons why your Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) may not match your billing statement. Multiple claims may have been submitted to your insurance company depending on the care you received. Insurance companies generally process each claim separately and will send individual EOBs for each claim. You will receive one statement for all patient balances for Vail Health and a separate statement for all balances from Vail Health Clinics if applicable.  
 

Why am I getting a bill from Vail Valley Surgery Center?

Vail Valley Surgery Center bills separately from Vail Health. For questions about the Surgery Center's billing, please call (970) 476-8872.
 
The following providers also bill separately. The phone numbers for their billing departments follow.
Colorado Mountain Medical: (970) 328-1650
Vail-Summit Orthopaedics: (866) 358-0202
The Steadman Clinic: (866) 942-2688
 

Which ambulance transport service brought me to your facility?

There are two ambulance transport services within Eagle County that could have brought you to our facility:
 
Eagle County Paramedic Services: (970) 926-5270
 

What is co-insurance?

Co-insurance refers to money that an individual is required to pay for services, after a deductible has been paid. In some health care plans, co-insurance is called "co-payment." Co-insurance is often specified by a percentage. For example, the employee pays 20 percent toward the charges for a service and the employer or insurance company pays 80 percent.
 

I'm a Medicare patient. Are self-administered drugs covered during my hospital stay?

If you are a Medicare patient then self-administered drugs may not be covered during your outpatient/observation stay. Click here for more information (pdf).

What does co-payment or co-pay mean?

Co-payment is a predetermined (flat) fee that an individual pays for health care services, in addition to what the insurance covers. For example, some HMOs require a $10 co-payment for each office visit, regardless of the type or level of services provided during the visit. Co-payments are not usually specified by percentages.
 

How does my deductible figure into all of this?

The deductible is the amount an individual must pay for health care expenses before insurance (or a self-insured company) covers the costs. Often, insurance plans are based on yearly deductible amounts.
 

What does pre-authorization mean? How do I get it?

A pre-authorization is an approval by one's insurance company for the policy holder or dependent to receive hospital services or be admitted to a hospital. Pre-authorization should be sought according to your policy prior to receiving services or admittance in order for services to be covered by the insurance company. If you have questions about the services you are scheduled to receive, please contact your insurance company to understand the need for prior authorization. 
 

Financial Counseling - Understanding Common Terms & Definitions

Co-Insurance

Coinsurance is the percentage of costs you pay after you've met your deductible.

Copayment or Copay

A predetermined payment amount that is paid by a patient at the time of receiving services. For example, you may have a $25 copay every time you see your primary care physician, a $10 copay for each monthly medication and a $250 copay for an emergency room visit.
 

Deductible

A deductible is what you pay annually for health services before your insurance company pays its share. For instance, if you have a deductible of $1,000, your insurance plan might not start covering its share of your bills until you’ve paid $1,000 for healthcare in a given year. However, plans often cover the cost of things like preventive care doctor’s visits even before you’ve paid your full deductible amount.
 

Explanation of Benefits (EOB)

An EOB is a statement from your health insurance provider describing what costs it will cover for medical care or products you’ve received. The EOB is generated when your insurance company has completed processing the claims for the services you received.
 

Facility Fees

These are fees associated with the location that you received care.

Financial Assistance

Financial support to help minimize financial burdens resulting from a medical condition. Eligibility is based on household income and assets. Vail Health provides financial assistance on a sliding scale to individuals with an annual household income up to 500% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. 
 

Guarantor

The Guarantor is the person who is financially responsible to pay the patient's bill. If the patient is a child, the responsible party may be the child's parent or legal guardian. 
 

Insurance Adjustment

This is the amount the healthcare provider has agreed not to charge based on your specific insurance coverage.
 

Insurance Payment

The amount your health insurance provider has already paid.

Patient Payment

The total amount already paid by the patient. 

Payment Plan

An arrangement with the bank where the borrower agrees to pay back a certain amount of money each month to repay the total debt. The payment plans available on our bill pay website can extend up to 12 months with a minimum payment of $25/month and have 0% interest. 
 

Primary Insurance

A health insurance plan that covers a person as an employee, subscriber, or member. Primary insurance is billed first when you receive health care. For example, health insurance a person receives through their employer is typically their primary insurance.
 

Professional Fees

These are the fees associated with your physician that provided care. For example, if you received an MRI, these images will be read by a Provider which results in a professional fee cost.
 

Secondary Insurance

A health insurance plan that covers you in addition to your primary insurance plan. Typically, secondary insurance is billed when your primary insurance plan is exhausted and may help cover additional health care costs. For example, if a person already has insurance through their employer and chooses to enroll with their spouse’s health insurance plan (if allowed), that coverage would become their secondary insurance.
 

Services

This identifies the specific services, procedures, or supplies you received from a healthcare provider.

Statement

A statement is an overview of your financial responsibility from the services you received from our healthcare facilities.
 

Total Charges

This is the total cost of all the services you received during your visit added together before insurance coverage has been factored in or payment adjustments have been included. 
 

Visit

A visit is any time you have come to the hospital, or your provider, for a service or treatment. 

Visit Balance

The amount you are currently responsible to pay.

Visit Number

Each visit that you receive care, there is a unique number established to represent that date of service.

What is the difference between Vail Health Hospital and Vail Health Clinics when I see them on different statements?

It all comes down to this, Vail Health Hospital and Vail Health Clinics have separate tax IDs and therefore have to have separate billing statements. Statements are generated for the services that fall within each entity.