Reduction of the balance due on a patient’s financial account because of his or her financial status. A hardship waiver can vary from 25% to 100% of the bill and must be documented before a decision is made in these cases. Current guidelines on poverty income are used to determine eligibility for uncompensated services under the Hill-Burton program, the Community Services Block Grant program, and the Head Start program. Physicians may choose to follow these guidelines to direct patients to government-sponsored programs, obtain public assistance, and determine who is eligible for a hardship waiver. The physician may elect to collect the third-party payer’s portion of the bill and adjust off the patient portion of the charge. A written policy about what qualifies a patient for a financial hardship discount must be created because it may be construed as discriminatory if not given to other patients consistently.