Pennie Gustin, new financial counselor at St. John's Lutheran Hospital. Photo courtesy SJLH.
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New Financial Counselor at St. John's
August 17, 2007
St. John’s Lutheran Hospital in Libby recently added a new Financial Counselor to their staff. Pennie Gustin joins the hospital as the Patient Financial Resource Counselor. Gustin is no stranger to healthcare, having spent the last three years in the billing department at the Libby Clinic.
“My new position allows me the opportunity to work with people who are having a difficult time meeting their medical financial responsibilities. We realize that healthcare is an expensive necessity and that not everyone can afford the full cost of the care we provide. Every patient we see has his or her own unique financial situation. Even those that are insured may still not be able to meet their medical financial responsibilities,” Gustin said. “In an effort to address those concerns, St. John’s developed a program called SharePay.”
SharePay is a sliding scale financial program, developed by St. John’s in 2004. The program is designed to help individuals, with limited financial resources, receive a discount off of the self-pay portion of their bill for health care services. Under this program, some individuals may qualify for discounts on the care they receive from St. John’s. The discount is based on a sliding scale, taking into account income level, debts, assets and family size. Even if an individual has health insurance or belongs to a Federal assistance program they may still qualify for SharePay. Not all procedures and programs at St. John’s qualify for SharePay discounts.
“The program is an effort by St. John’s to make sure that everyone gets the necessary healthcare services that they require,” said Gustin. “Helping people help themselves is very gratifying.” Gustin lives in Libby with her twin sons Tyler and Bryce.
For more information about the SharePay Program at St. John’s, please call Pennie at 406-293-0129 or visit St. John’s website at www.sjlh.com.
St. John’s Lutheran Hospital media release.
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