Effective Tuesday, January 21, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System will be collecting co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance from patients at time of service in an effort to educate patients on their insurance benefits and help them understand their financial responsibilities for their care. Collecting time-of-service payments aligns with common and current healthcare industry practices and includes the following:
- The co-pay for clinic visits (Specialty Clinic, Cancer Center, ENT Clinic, Prairie Lakes Brown Clinics) is based on insurance plans.
- The private pay co-pay for clinic visits (Specialty Clinic, Cancer Center, ENT Clinic, Prairie Lakes Brown Clinic) is a deposit or partial payment that is established for different services.
- For Hospital services, deductible and co-insurance are based on insurance plans, or for Private Pay, a percentage of your estimate is required.
- Patients who present for emergency medical care are subject to Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) regulations.
Patients may be expected to pay a portion of their bill at time of service and are encouraged to contact their insurance companies to find out how office visits and medical services will be covered.
For patients who have Medicare insurance, Prairie Lakes Healthcare System bills services as provider-based billing, sometimes called hospital-based billing. Frequently asked questions regarding provider-based billing can be found by visiting https://www.prairielakes.com/billing-and-insurance/provider-based-billing-10870.html.
Questions regarding time-of-service payments can be directed to a Prairie Lakes Patient Account Specialist at 605-882-7887.