Main Guide

Prisoners vs. Inmate Billing & Custody

Active

Purpose

To help Patient Access employees correctly identify the difference between a prisoner and an inmate for billing and registration purposes. This guide explains what should be listed for the patient’s address, insurance, policy number, guarantor, and confidential status.

Situation / Scenario

Use this guide when registering or reviewing a patient who is either a prisoner from a prison facility or an inmate from a jail/correctional center. This guide explains how the address, insurance, policy number, and guarantor should be entered based on the patient’s custody status.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  • Confirm whether the patient is considered a prisoner or an inmate.
  • A prisoner is associated with a prison facility.
  • An inmate is associated with a jail or correctional center.

Helpful Tips

  • Do not treat prisoners and jail inmates the same for registration and billing.
  • Prisoners should have the prison facility listed for address, insurance, and guarantor.
  • Inmates should have their own address and guarantor listed as the patient.
  • For inmates, the patient’s personal insurance should be listed as primary when available.
  • The correctional center should be listed as secondary for inmates when applicable.
  • Always verify that confidential status has been added.

Common Mistakes

  • Listing the patient’s personal address for a prisoner.
  • Listing the patient as the guarantor when the patient is a prisoner.
  • Forgetting to add the correctional center as secondary insurance for an inmate.
  • Forgetting to mark the patient as confidential.
  • Confusing prison facility billing with jail/correctional center billing.

What NOT To Do

  • Do not assume prisoner and inmate billing are the same.
  • Do not leave the patient off confidential status.
  • Do not list the correctional facility as guarantor for an inmate unless instructed by leadership or policy.
  • Do not enter patient-specific identifiers into the help bot or guide request form.

Escalation Instructions

If there is uncertainty about whether the patient should be registered as a prisoner or inmate, escalate to a supervisor or designated Patient Access leadership before finalizing the registration.