For healthcare providers

What is Christian Healthcare Ministries?

Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is a Bible-based, voluntary medical cost sharing ministry. CHM members have shared over $8 billion in medical costs.

CHM is an eligible option for individuals under the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This information can be found under 26 U.S.C. §5000A(d)(2)(B)(ii); p. 128.

CHM has worked with more than 100,000 healthcare providers. CHM members may receive treatment from any facility or physician that meets accepted standards of care as long as the treatment is within CHM Guidelines.

Why Christian Healthcare Ministries?

You don’t need to seek approval or permission from CHM to treat your patient. All medical decisions are made by the doctor and the patient.

Your patient’s membership in CHM means less paperwork for you (patients should be billed directly) and fewer overhead costs because you don’t need the services of a billing specialist.

The only item our member needs from you is an itemized medical bill. Please note that itemized bills must include the following information:

• Patient’s name
• Date(s) of service
• Provider or place of service
• Procedural (CPT) code (or description of services rendered)
• Total charge for each service rendered

Download a helpful itemized bill infographic here.

How does my patient's participation in CHM affect his or her ability to pay?

CHM members are self-pay patients. As such, we ask that they receive consideration in pricing and discounts.

Christian Healthcare Ministries is secondary to other potential payment sources; after primary payments are applied, bills are presented to CHM for sharing of the remaining unpaid amounts. This process can take 70-85 days but may be considerably shorter if you offer a significant discount. Eligibility for medical bill sharing is pre-determined by CHM Guidelines. Please bill patients directly.

What steps will my patient take to pay his or her medical bills? What kinds of questions can I expect to hear?

We encourage our member—your patient—to follow these steps:

• Explain to you that he or she is self-pay and should be billed directly while still presenting their CHM card
• To ask for a "bundle" rate if treatment requires several services
• As early as possible, preferably before services are performed, discuss pricing and discounts; request a self-pay bill discount to receive the same consideration given to insurance patients. The larger the discount, the faster CHM and the patient can work together to pay the bill
• Ask you if there are financial assistance programs available for self-pay patients
• Set up an interim payment schedule to demonstrate your patient's desire and ability to pay
• To pay you promptly once the patient has received the necessary funds from the CHM office