Billing FAQs

We understand that medical care can be expensive.  Our intent is to provide as much information as possible and avoid any unexpected surprises regarding payment. The price estimates below reflect a 35% discount that we offer to Self-Pay Patients.

• Full Payment will be collected at the end of your visit.  We accept:

• Cash

• Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, & American Express)

• Check

 

• Doctor consults (which do not include individual tests and treatments) can range widely depending on the extent of the visit:
  
  

  • New patients: $150-$320

• Established patients: $100-$220

 

• •Costs for individual tests and treatments are added to the cost of the doctor's consult.
  
  

• Xrays: $35-$100

• Blood Tests: varies widely, depending on the test(s) ordered

• Dispensed medication: $10-$20

• Injections: $10-$50

• Procedures: $150-$500

• We can provide estimates for your visit, but cannot predict precisely what the total charge will be.

• You can discuss treatment and testing options with both our Medical Assistants and Doctors over the course of your visit.

In order to provide the highest quality medical care for you our patients, we must occasionally evaluate our prices. You will find our current, updated pricing  to be competitive with other offices in the surrounding area. New Prices are effective 8/1/2011.

Michigan Avenue Immediate Care is in network with most major insurance companies.  We can’t guarantee coverage of your visit by your insurance carrier and recommend that you contact your insurance company in advance of your appointment for specific details about your coverage.  We are in network with the following insurance plans:

* Please note that Humana requires a referral from your primary care physician for patients with the HMO plan, even though we are in network as an immediate care facility.

We recommend that patients contact their insurance company prior to a visit at Michigan Avenue Immediate Care to verify benefits and coverage.  Our staff are happy to help answers questions regarding insurance coverage to the best of our ability, but we are unable to guarantee whether or not your insurance company will cover your visit.  We are in network (See Do you take insurance?) with most major insurance carriers.

Some common reasons that your insurance company may not cover the entire cost of your visit include:

• Coinsurance (See What is coinsurance?)

• Deductible (See What is a deductible?)

• Non-Covered Services (See What are non-covered services?)

If you have an HMO plan, please contact your insurance company to find out if you need a referral from your primary care physician to see a doctor at Michigan Avenue Immediate Care.

If you don’t have your insurance card on the day of your visit, you have several options:

• Contact your insurance company to find out how to obtain a temporary replacement card.

• Pay for your visit and submit a claim to your insurance company for reimbursement.

• Leave a credit card on file with us for up to 24 hours after your visit until you are able to obtain your insurance information.

• Ask a family member on your same insurance plan for the billing information.
  
  We will need:

  • ID#

  • Group#

  • Address to send claims

  • The policy holder's name, date of birth, SS#, and your relationship to that person

Michigan Avenue Immediate Care will accept the following forms of payment at the conclusion of your visit:

• Cash

• Check

• American Express

• Mastercard

• Visa

• Discover

There are several reasons why you may be receiving a bill from our office.  There may be a comment on your statement that includes additional information regarding the reason for your balance with us.  Most commonly patients receive a bill for:

• Copay: the copay listed on your card & collected at the time of service was not the correct urgent care copay.

• Deductible (See what is a deductible ?)

• Non-covered services (See What are non-covered services?)

• Additional information needed: Your insurance company may have requested additional information from you in order to process your claim.  Requests for additional information are usually in the form of a questionnaire requesting information regarding an injury or possible preexisting condition or student status needed (if you are a full-time student, your insurance company needs proof of your status as a full-time student).  In most cases, after providing the additional information, your insurance company will reprocess the claim.

Please contact someone in our billing department at billing@maicoh.org or 312-201-1234 if you have any additional questions.  We are here to help you!

A deductible is the amount of money you must pay each year before your health insurance plan starts to pay for covered medical expenses.  Deductibles typically range anywhere from $500-$2000.

Coinsurance is a percentage of your medical expenses you are responsible for.  Coinsurance is typically a 90/10, 80/20, or 70/30 split, with the insurance company paying the higher percentage.  Any portion you are responsible for due to coinsurance will be billed to you after  your insurance processed the claim for your visit.  Most plans with a coinsurance also have a deductible (See What is a deductible ?) that must be met before the insurance company covers any medical expenses.

Non-covered services are certain procedures or diagnosis care excluded from coverage by the “fine print” of the insurance policy.  The most common reason for a visit to be denied by your insurance company due to non-covered services is a denial due to a pre-existing condition clause.

To avoid any “surprises” you, as the consumer, can:

• Clarify coverage issues in advance.

• Read and understand the terms and limitations of your insurance policy/contract.

You can reach us by email at billing@maicoh.org or by calling (312) 201-1234.  Questions submitted via email will be answered within 1-2 business days.

Your account number can be found in the upper left-hand corner.  If you don’t know your account number, a payment can still be submitted with the patient’s name, date of birth, and other required information.  Someone from the billing department will contact you if we are unable to identify the account.

You will receive an email confirmation as soon as your payment is received.  Payments will be processed in 1-2 business days.  However, it may take up to 10 business days for the payment to appear on your credit card or bank statement.