Planning Your Stay

It is the patient's responsibility to notify your insurance carrier of a planned admission. You may want to discuss the admission process with your physician. In many cases, your doctor will make arrangements for your admission to the hospital.

Check with Your Insurance Company

Most health insurance companies require pre-determination and/or a second opinion before admission to the hospital. Failure to obtain either of these may result in financial hardship to the patient. Before your admission to WVU Hospitals, contact your health insurance company to ask whether your policy has any pre-admission requirements.

Preparing for Admission

When the physician notifies the Pre-admission Unit of your scheduled hospital stay, a representative will call you to verify your medical and insurance information. This process will help you avoid unnecessary delays when you arrive at the hospital.

Depending on your type of health insurance, the Pre-certification Office may pre-certify your hospital stay. If you do not have insurance, you will be required to fill out a financial aid form. This form can be completed before you are admitted or at the time of your admission. We have patient representatives available to talk about payment choices.

If you have questions about the admissions process, or wish to speak with someone in the Pre-certification Office, call 304-598-4885.

Observation Beds

Sometimes physicians ask that a patient stay in an "observation bed" until the physician can assess problems and decide whether the patient needs to be admitted. WVU Hospitals does not have a separate unit for observation beds. Observation patients are assigned to a medical or surgical unit. Observation usually does not last longer than 24 hours.

Insurance companies and Medicare consider observation status an outpatient service. If you receive Medicare benefits, observation status is reimbursed by Medicare Part B, so you will be responsible for a percentage of charges.

Your physician decides whether observation is the most appropriate level of care for you, and can answer any questions you may have about your care. If you ask to remain in observation after your doctor says it is no longer necessary, Medicare requires that we notify you, and you then are responsible for paying for your care from that point until discharge.

If you have any questions about observation status, call Care Management at 304-598-4183.