Billing
There is no cost to the donor’s estate, insurance company or their families for organ or tissue donation. The Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (LOPA) will reimburse your hospital for all reasonable costs associated with the donation process.
LOPA's financial obligations begin upon signed consent of a referred patient as an organ or tissue donor by LOPA or for other donation related expenses incurred at LOPA's request prior to consent. Costs incurred outside of the scope of organ and tissue donation, are not reimbursable expenses.
The principles regarding the acceptability of donor charges are :
- The patient must have been accepted by LOPA as a potential donor prior to the charge being incurred.
- The charge must be related specifically to donor evaluation, management or surgical recovery of the donated organs and tissues.
Examples of acceptable hospital charges :
- Laboratory tests necessary to determine suitability of donor organs for transplantation
- Medications, fluids, treatments, and procedures necessary for donor maintenance or evaluation
- Nursing care during donor maintenance
- Professional consultations requested by LOPA specifically for organ donation purposes
- Operating room charges and services
- Anesthesia services for organ recovery
LOPA will make direct payment to your hospital for charges incurred. Professional fees for physician services requested by the coordinator should be billed directly to LOPA by the physician or group rendering the services.
To avoid confusion, we recommend that upon LOPA's acceptance of a donor, the hospital should discharge the patient and readmit as an organ donor. This practice should result in a bill with charges related exclusively to the donation process.
An itemized statement of both the donor and patient’s bill should be mailed to:
Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency
Hospital Account Representative
4441 N. I-10 Service Road
Metairie, LA 70006
or you may send it electronically to billing@lopa.org.
As per the LOPA/Hospital agreement, all bills are audited for accuracy and appropriateness. When the bill has been reviewed and determined to be correct, payment will be made to the hospital. In your hospital agreement, LOPA agrees to remit payment within sixty (60) days following the receipt of a properly documented final bill. Questions regarding billing may be addressed to LOPA at the address above, via e-mail at billing@lopa.org, or by calling us at 504-837-3355 or 800-521-GIVE.
