Discharge Procedure
Your discharge from Brookhaven is authorized by your physician. At the time you are discharged, a member of your family or another representative should visit the hospital's Cashier's window to settle your account. After payment has been made, a clerk at the window will issue a discharge slip, except on weekends, which should be presented at the nursing station on your unit. 

Please be sure to gather all personal belongings before you leave. But remember not to inadvertently pack any hospital supplies such as towels or linens. If you are in doubt, please check with your nurse. Under hospital policy, patients are asked to vacate their rooms before 11:00 a.m. on the day of discharge. This policy exists to allow the hospital the time it needs to prepare rooms for new patients. 

Educational and Support Services
As part of its health care services, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center conducts a variety of educational and support programs. The Medical Center also offers a number of clubs and programs for the general public. Some of these are intended to complement the hospital's inpatient education services by providing patients with follow-up instruction and information after they have been discharged. If you are discharged on a modified diet and have questions, you may call 631-654-7776 for counseling or follow-up outpatient at the Department of Nutritional Services. 

Payment For Your Care
Hospitalization coverage is a contract between a patient and his insurance company. While we strive to expedite your claim, you are responsible, ultimately, for your account with the hospital. At the time of your discharge, you are asked to pay that portion of your bill that is not covered by insurance or by a third-party payer. Those patients without third-party coverage are responsible for paying for the full cost for their care.

No patient in need of hospital care will ever be turned away from Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center because of an inability to pay for that care. If you expect to have difficulty paying your hospital bill, do not hesitate to contact the hospital's billing office to discuss your situation. 

You should be aware that the bill you may receive from the hospital may not include all of the charges related to your care while you were in the hospital. Fees not included in your hospital bill include: Your physician's charges, the charges of any anesthesiologists who may have been involved in your care, and the charges of any consulting physicians or specialists involved in each care. Also, there will be two separate bills rendered for each X-ray procedure, as follows: 

1. A bill from Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center, which represents the use of the equipment, technical personnel, and other overhead; and

2. A bill from the radiologist who interprets the X-rays

All payments or correspondence concerning the hospital bill should be addressed to the hospital; information on payments or correspondence concerning the radiologist's bill will be provided at the time of billing. 

For most people, a third-party payer will cover almost the entire cost of hospital care. Different categories of third-party payers include Blue Cross, Medicare, Medicaid, major medical and various other kinds of managed care organizations (HMOs, PPOs, Point of Service plans, etc.). You should be aware that the degree to which your hospital bill will be covered will vary in accordance with the type of third-party coverage you have. For example, some managed care organizations will cover hospitalization at 100% if the hospital is a member of their contracted network, or at a lesser percentage if the hospital is out of network. Another example is Medicare, where coverage for hospital stays is subject to an annual deductible. Hospitals, in turn, are reimbursed by the third-party payer according to various elaborate and complicated mechanisms that differ according to the type of third-party payer. Under this mechanism, the hospital's operating costs often are not met, and thus, the hospital depends on charitable gifts and contributions to finance new construction, purchase new equipment, renovate the physical plant, and maintain the highest quality patient care. 

The Cost of Care
At first glance, the cost of hospital care may appear to be high. Most people, however, do not realize that, unlike businesses, hospitals must provide service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In considering the cost of care, it's important to remember that a hospital's charges include: room facilities; the availability of modern life-sustaining equipment, three carefully prepared meals a day, skilled nursing care; and the services of technicians, pharmacists, and countless other employees who work behind the scenes to carry out the treatment prescribed by a patient's physician. Be assured that Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center constantly strives to provide the highest quality patient care possible in a cost-effective manner. 

Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicare admissions to all hospitals in New York State are subject to review specified in a plan developed by the PRO and approved by the Federal Government. 

Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System
The New York State Department of Health has developed a statewide data system known as the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) and that all acute care hospitals are required to submit to SPARCS certain billing and medical record information for all patients.