Overlake Medical Center and Clinics recently announced it provided more than $28.7 million in charity care, Medicaid shortfall coverage and community benefit to Eastside patients during its fiscal year for 2018.
The fiscal year for Overlake ended on June 30.
In a press release touting the charity, Overlake restated its ongoing commitment to serving all patients, regardless of socio-economic situation or ability to pay.
“I am 62 and this is the first time I have received any kind of assistance such as this, and I am very grateful — this takes a huge concern off my shoulders,” wrote one Bellevue patient in a letter to Overlake’s financial services department, according to a press release.
Overlake reports that the cost of charity care provided was more than $7 million, representing medical bills that were covered at no expense to the patient. Services ranged from primary care visits to coverage of comprehensive cancer treatment for patients who could not afford it.
“Overlake is proud to be a positive contributor to the long-term health and vibrancy of the Eastside,” Overlake president and CEO J. Michael Marsh said. “These figures spotlight the commitment to our entire community which has been the core of this organization since its founding in 1960.”
In addition to direct charity care, offered on a sliding scale up to 400 percent of federal poverty limit, the Medicaid shortfall (the discrepancy between the cost of providing care to patients and reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) totaled nearly $16 million. The value of community benefit activities was $5.7 million, representing community outreach, partnerships with other health-related nonprofits, and educational events on topics including stroke awareness and fall prevention for seniors.
Overlake Medical Center and Clinics is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Bellevue serving the Eastside community since 1960. The health system includes a 349-bed hospital and a network of primary, urgent and specialty care clinics located throughout the greater Eastside. Overlake offers comprehensive advanced services including a dedicated cancer center, level III trauma center, childbirth center and level III NICU, cardiac, neurosciences, orthopedic and mental health services. For more information, visit overlakehospital.org.
