Billing and financial services

Pay by phone: Call Patient Financial Services at 406.375.4498 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Pay online: Please visit our online payment portal to pay your bills online. If you have any questions, our Customer Service Team will be happy to help. If you have any questions, our Customer Service Team will be happy to help, please call 406.363.3228.

Pay in person or by mail: Bitterroot Health, Main Entrance, 1200 Westwood Drive, Hamilton, MT 59840. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Help: We understand how complex and confusing the medical billing process can be. Please contact our Customer Service representative who can help explain your bill, put you in touch with our financial counselors or help you apply for financial assistance for patients who qualify.

Please call: 406.363.3228
Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For any service with Bitterroot Health, you'll be asked for current insurance information, including any secondary insurance or Medicare supplemental insurance that you carry. We can assist you by filing your claim with your insurance company.

Depending on your insurance plan, you may need to check on certain specialist care coverage or may be required to get approval (pre-certification) before receiving hospital services. Obtaining pre-certification does not guarantee your plan will pay the entire cost for that covered service. You may be responsible for paying deductibles, copays and coinsurance. Please call the customer service number on your insurance card before scheduling specialist appointments.

We submit a claim to your insurance company for services we provided you. By working together, we can minimize misunderstandings, payment delays and billing costs. Please note, you are responsible for any charges not covered by your benefit plan.

If we do not contract with your insurance provider, you may still receive services with us, however your insurance company will consider our services out-of-network, and you'll be responsible for paying more out-of-pocket costs.

If you have additional insurance information that has not been billed, please contact us at 406.363.3228.

Learn about our Financial Assistance Program.

Contact our financial counselors: 406.363.3228 or send us an email.

To find out if your family is eligible for financial assistance from the Healthy Montana Kids (HMK) program for residents with children up to age 19, please visit the Montana State HMK webpage for more information.

To access a list of charges for items and services provided by Bitterroot Health, please view our Pricing Tool page.

Visit the Montana State Informed Patient website with information and resources about medical pricing and quality.

Visit the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) website for details on the No Surprise Act.

The No Surprises Act protects certain patients from surprise bills for emergency services at nonparticipating facilities, services provided by nonparticipating providers at participating facilities, and air ambulance services from nonparticipating providers. The No Surprises Act also enables uninsured or self-pay patients to receive a good faith estimate of the cost of scheduled care ahead of time.

Balance Billing Disclosure

Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from balance billing if you are enrolled in a group health plan, group or individual health insurance coverage, or a Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance, and/or deductible.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, like a copayment, coinsurance, or deductible. You may have additional costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” means providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan to provide services. Out-of-network providers may be allowed to bill you for the difference between what your plan pays, and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your plan’s deductible or annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. Surprise medical bills could cost thousands of dollars depending on the procedure or service.

You’re protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other types of services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get out-of-network care. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

When balance billing isn’t allowed, you also have these protections:

• You’re only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductible that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay any additional costs to out-of-network providers and facilities directly.
• Generally, your health plan must:
  • Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (also known as “prior authorization”).
  • Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.
  • Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
  • Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your in-network deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you think you’ve been wrongly billed, you may:

• File a complaint with the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance at https://csimt.gov/insurance-online-complaint-form/ or by calling 1-800-332-6148.
• File a complaint with the federal government at www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers or by calling 1-800-985-3059.

Visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law.

Good Faith Estimate Disclosure

You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost

Under the law, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have certain types of health care coverage or are not using certain types of health care coverage an estimate of the bill for medical items and services before those items or services are provided.

• You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or health care items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, equipment, and hospital fees.
• If you schedule a healthcare item or service at least 3 business days in advance, make sure your healthcare provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule a healthcare item or service at least 10 business days in advance, make sure your healthcare provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after scheduling. You can also ask your healthcare provider or facility for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you do, make sure the health care provider or facility gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing within 3 business days after you ask.
• If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more for any provider or facility than your Good Faith Estimate from that provider or facility, you can dispute the bill.
• Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate and the bill.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers, email FederalPPDRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov, or call 1-800-985-3059.

Information provided by the Billings Clinic.