Highlands Hospital provides medically necessary care to all individuals regardless of ability to pay. Partial and /or full charity care is based on the individual’s ability to pay. Because the need for this help is both sensitive and personal for the recipient, and in order to facilitate the process of securing necessary information, Highlands Hospital strongly prefers to perform financial screening upon scheduling, admission or registration (discharge processing in the Emergency Department) as part of the overall financial counseling process. Financial Counseling services are to be made available to all elective, urgent and emergent patients. Patients who represent increased financial risk as a result of the amount they are expected to owe should be referred to a Patient Accounting Specialist for assistance in applying for alternative payment programs. (E.g. medical assistance, Chip, Charity Care, establishment of payment arrangements.)