Frequently Asked QuestionsMedical bills can be confusing or difficult to understand. We are here to help. Patient Financial Services representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at (888) 71-CARLE, (888) 712-2753. We can answer questions about the Carle consolidated bill which includes charges for Carle Physician Group, Carle Foundation Hospital, Carle Hoopeston Regional Health Center, Carle Richland Memorial Hospital, Carle West Physician Group, Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital. Show If you have questions about a statement of hospital charges from Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Eureka Hospital with dates of service July 1, 2020 through February 26, 2021, please call (855) 665-2970 or (309) 268-5289. What are Medical Fees? Carle establishes a standard fee schedule, using a national database of fee information, which covers the cost of delivering services. Carle is not obligated to accept less than the billed amount for a service. Any unpaid balances will remain your responsibility. What are Facility and Professional Fees? Facility fees are those services charged for by the hospital. Professional fees are those charged for by physicians and other professional providers. What may appear to be a duplicate charge on your statement is a separation of the facility fee and the professional fee. This billing model, called Provider Based Billing, complies with specific Medicare regulations. This is a nationally recognized billing model for integrated healthcare delivery systems such as ours. Will insurance cover my services? Carle encourages all patients to contact their respective insurance companies to verify coverage before their scheduled visits and/or procedures. How do I change my information? How do I obtain an estimate for services? You may at any time obtain an estimate of future services by contacting Patient Financial Services at (888) 71-CARLE, (888) 712-2753 or by visiting one of our Patient Financial Services locations or by using our online estimate tool. Learn more here. Does Carle offer financial assistance? Carle offers a number of options to assist you with paying your health care bills, including convenient payment plans and free or discounted health care. Please review our Carle Financial Assistance Program at Carle.org/FinancialAssistance or contact Patient Financial Services for additional information. Statement FAQsCarle's consolidated statement is for services rendered at several of our entities:
Why do I receive separate statements from Carle? Not all Carle entities share the same billing system. Therefore, you will receive separate statements for charges from: Carle Medical Supply, Arrow Ambulance, Home Infusion, Carle BroMenn Medical Center (services provided 7/1/20 through 1/26/21), Carle Eureka Hospital (services provided 7/1/20 through 1/26/21), Carle’s Extended Business Office or other third party agencies. In addition, you will receive separate statements for each guarantor in your household. For questions, please contact the phone number on the statement you received. How often will I receive a statement? You will receive a statement every 28 days. Guarantor statements will continue until the account’s self-pay balance reaches a $0.00 balance or forwarded to a third party agency. Why am I receiving e-statements? Patient’s receive e-statements by default. With e-statements you have the ability to view, print or save a copy right from your computer. The e-statement is identical to the paper statement that you would have received in the mail. If you wish to opt-out of e-statements and receive your statement by mail, please contact Carle Patient Financial Services at (888) 71-CARLE, (888) 712-2753. When will I receive my e-statement? Your next e-statement will be sent according to the existing statement cycle. E-delivery enables you to receive your statement on the actual statement date. Is my personal information secure with e-statements? Yes, all of your personal information is encrypted and password protected to ensure your personal information is secure. What if I change my email address? Log into MyCarle and select the icon to view your statement or enroll in e-delivery, then click the "Profile" link. You can update your email address here so that all future notifications will be sent to the updated email address. Who should I contact if I don’t receive my email notification? If any questions arise please reference the "Contact us" section on the right side of your screen for the appropriate contact information. What if I forget my password? When signing into MyCarle, click on the "Forgot Your Password" link under the password box. You will be prompted to enter your username and then you will receive a confirmation email. The email will contain a link to reset your password. Why is my statement for the full amount, and not for my monthly payment arrangement? To reduce confusion on the statement, you are being presented with the total balance due. If you have a payment arrangement in place with Carle, you are expected to pay at least that amount. Did you receive my last payment? I do not see it listed on my statement. Charges that are paid in full will not show on your statement. You can log into your MyCarle account to review your recent payment information. PaymentsPayment Policy The guarantor is responsible for payments for all charges for services received. Balances are to be paid in full by the due date on the first statement. Charges pending with insurance are the responsibility of the guarantor. Co-payments, deductibles and co-insurance are due at the time of service even though charges may be pending with your insurance for payment. How else can I pay my balance? If you choose not to pay online, you may send your payment along with your statement top to the payment address on your statement. Carle accepts cash, check, Money Order, debit or credit cards (Mastercard, Discover Card or Visa). You may also pay at time of service at the registration desk or Kiosk. Payments are also accepted in person or over the phone with Patient Financial Services. Can you automatically deduct my payment? Carle offers automatic payment plans from your checking or savings accounts, as well as from a qualified debit or credit card against the statement most recently received. New balances after the automatic deduction is established will not be included; therefore, you may need to set-up a new recurring payment. Automatic payment plans must meet certain minimum monthly payment amounts and duration limits. Automatic payment plans will not be set-up if the guarantor/patient does not have a valid email address. Automatic payment plans will not guarantee the withholding of an account from placement with a third party vendor. A declined payment may qualify the account for placement with a third party agency. When will my payment be posted to my account? Your payment will be processed and posted to your account within two - five business days. If I have a credit balance on any of my Carle accounts, can it be moved to a different balance due? If any payment results in a credit balance, we will transfer your overpayment to an open balance you have on another Carle account. If you do not have any open balances or charges pending for payment, we will send you a refund for your overpayment. Can I pay my balance online? You may pay your balance online by logging into your MyCarle account. You also have the ability to make a one-time payment online on the Pay My Bill page. Does Carle offer payment plans? Total payment is expected for the guarantor’s portion at the time of service or receipt of statement. If you are unable to pay the full balance due, you may qualify for a monthly payment arrangement. Certain services may not qualify for an arrangement. You may contact us at (888) 71-CARLE, (888) 712-2753 to discuss a payment arrangement. Please be aware that payment arrangements may be re-evaluated on a periodic basis. A missed payment may qualify the account for placement with a third party agency. Do I need to specify which balances I want to pay? No, Carle will split your payment across all of your balances due. What if my payment is delinquent? Self-pay guarantor accounts that are not paid in a timely manner will be referred to a third party agency, such as our Extended Business Office and/or a collection agency for additional collection activities. Third party collection agencies may engage in Extraordinary Collection Activities (ECA) including:
Outpatient Department Billing FAQsThe Following Are Outpatient Departments of Carle Foundation Hospital:
The Following Are Outpatient Departments of Carle BroMenn Medical Center:
In these locations, you will be charged for any services performed by your provider, and receive separate charges from the hospital for facility services. Depending on your insurance, there may be an additional co-pay or co-insurance (one for the provider and one for the hospital) for one visit. If you have secondary coverage, any additional co-insurance and deductible may be covered by your secondary insurance. This billing model, called Provider Based, complies with specific Medicare regulations and is a national model of practice for integrated healthcare delivery systems such as Carle. What is Provider-Based Status? Provider Based status is a status sanctioned by Medicare for hospitals and clinics. It is a national model of practice for integrated healthcare delivery systems like Carle that includes hospital and physician offices. Simply put, it means that physician offices are departments of the hospital. One of the benefits of having Provider-Based status is the opportunity to participate in the Federal 340B Drug Purchasing Program. Will I have to pay an additional fee for my next visit? Depending on insurance, patients may experience a change in co-pay or co-insurance responsibility. This change will not impact patients covered by Medicaid. Patients will continue to receive one bill for the care they receive at Carle, but charges will be separated by line item according to services received from the hospital and those received from providers. This is no different than the way Carle currently bills for other hospital based services like the Emergency Department, Therapy Services, Lab services and surgical procedures. What if I'm confused about the bills I get in the mail? Why did Carle convert to this model for most of its physician office locations? Hospital outpatient department status will help us to continue to meet the healthcare needs of our communities well into the future. The Medicare-approved Provider Based model ensures Carle is compensated fairly for services provided and allows Carle to participate in a federal drug purchasing program that will help lower the total cost of care. Carle is taking proactive steps to ensure high-quality care is available to those in our region now and in the future. By converting to the provider-based model, Carle is ensuring it will continue to be able to provide charity care and community benefit programs for those who need it most as well as invest in bringing new specialists and technology to our
region. How will this affect my next visit? Provider Based billing will not change your covered services, but it may affect your copayments and deductible. What if I'm having trouble paying my medical bills? Carle has a number of options for those struggling to pay medical bills, including payment plans and free or discounted health care through the Carle Financial Assistance Program. If you'd like to hear more on these options, call Carle Patient Financial Services at (888) 71-CARLE, (888) 712-2753. What is the 340B Program? It is a federal program that extends discounts to hospital providers on some drugs it purchases for use in the hospital outpatient setting. The Federally-designed 340B Program enables approved nonprofit health care organizations to stretch scarce Federal resources as far as possible, reaching more eligible patients and providing more comprehensive services. The discounts available through this program will help reduce overall expenses for drug supplies. What should a billing statement to a patient include?Know what to include.. Payment due date.. “Checks Payable To” and “Address to Mail Payments” indicated clearly.. The address of a website where a patient can pay online.. A section for patients to write credit card information to be processed in the office.. A phone number for patients to call if they have billing questions.. What is the purpose of patient statements?Patient statements are medical bills that help the healthcare providers collect the medical fees more efficiently with lower administration. Patient statements can be hard to understand. The patient needs to understand what services they are paying.
What is the purpose of patient statements quizlet?Patient statements are created to show the patient what's owed and why. This is to collect money from the patient, often for coinsurance purposes or for non-covered services.
How often should patients receive a billing statement?A note about statement frequency: Send the billing statement every thirty days — day 1, day 30, day 60, and day 90. If you haven't received any patient payments within 120 days from the first statement, we recommend involving a third-party collection agency, as the probability of payment has diminished considerably.
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