Billing & Financial Assistance

Medical bills can be complicated. We want to help you understand your bills, our payment policies and your options.

If your child is a patient at one of the following practices, please visit the links below for more information on billing and insurance:

Before Your Visit

Insurance Plans We Accept

For a list of insurance plans we accept, click here

Insurance Plans We Don't Accept

If you do not see your insurance plan included in the list of plans we accept, please call 312.227.1230 to talk with a counselor about your family's healthcare insurance. 

Referrals 

Before any visit, ask your insurance company if you need a written referral for the visit or service. Many times, especially if your insurance is an HMO, you will need a referral.

If you were provided with a referral from your child’s physician related to an upcoming appointment at Lurie Children’s, please send that referral to our Financial Clearance team via fax at 312.227.9831 or via email at FaxcrReferrals@luriechildrens.org.

If you do not have a referral, you are required to sign a waiver which states you will assume all financial responsibility for the visit.

Many health insurance companies require precertification for certain appointments. Health insurance companies may require that patients meet certain medical necessity criteria before they will agree to cover some surgeries, certain drugs, or other high cost diagnostic procedures.

If your Lurie Children’s provider orders a test that requires precertification, the Lurie Children’s Financial Clearance team will attempt to obtain the precertification approval from your insurance company.

For additional information on precertification, please review the following precertification brochure: English | Español

In accordance with Federal Price Transparency Laws, Lurie Children’s is dedicated to preventing patients from receiving unexpected bills. For our self-pay and out-of-network patients, we are proactively informing patients of cost prior to service.

The most accurate estimate is obtained by contacting your insurance company. Most payers have online, easy-to-use tools.

We also provide a cost estimate tool for common procedures. These estimates are generated by sending a benefit insurance check. This Patient Estimate is only an estimate (or approximation) of what you may pay, and does not represent a guarantee of the total and final costs for all medical services provided and received.

In addition to our cost estimate tool, regulation requires us to publish a standard charge file which includes our non-discounted prices (by line item), along with information about reimbursement rates for inpatient stays, outpatient diagnostic services, and procedures. These rates do not include information regarding the expected liability to the patient or family.

You may also contact our Patient Financial Services at 312.227.1230 for assistance in obtaining estimates.

We will “request” payment at point of check-in. This includes copays, coinsurances, and deductibles.

For families in need of financial assistance, we can help. Call 312.227.7181 to learn more about government programs, state programs, social service organizations, initiate sliding scale or payment options and Charity Care. To help you apply, we will need information regarding all of your available financial resources. Click here to find out more.

MyChart is an easy-to-use, secure website that gives you access to your health information. With MyChart, you can register, E-check in, sign consent forms, upload insurance cards and access our cost estimator tool, as well as access other services such as communicating with your care team.

To sign in to your MyChart account, click here. To sign up for a MyChart account, click here

Please note that you should be registered for your appointment at the time of appointment scheduling. 

To avoid any delays on the day of your visit, please sign in to your MyChart account or create a MyChart account to complete E-Check In prior to your visit. 

If you have any questions, please call 1.800.KIDS DOC (1.800.543.7362). 

At Your Visit

  • Bring your insurance card. 
  • Bring referrals if you haven't submitted your referrals prior to your appointment. 
  • Pay your co-pays at check-in if you haven't prepaid on MyChart. Payments are accepted by credit card or check. 

  • When you arrive for your appointment:
    • You will have the opportunity to pay outstanding balances.
  • During the appointment, the physician may order tests, evaluations, and/or treatments apart from that appointment.
    • Some of these may result in additional charges.
  • If services provided are not covered by insurance, we can help you understand your payment options. Generally, we ask for a minimum payment on the day of the visit, and bill the balance.

After Your Visit

You may receive more than one bill for a single visit. The services provided, charges, insurance payment and your out-of-pocket portion will be identified as either physician or hospital related. The out of pocket portion may vary from a traditional office visit. Both the hospital and doctors submit bills to your insurance company. Click here for more information about understanding your hospital charges

Lurie Children's is pleased to offer secure, online bill pay options. To pay your bill online, click here

For families in need of financial assistance, we can help. Call 312.227.7181 to learn more about government programs, state programs, social service organizations, initiate sliding scale or payment options and Charity Care. To help you apply, we will need information regarding all of your available financial resources. Click here to find out more.

You Are Responsible for Charges Incurred

Before the visit, we suggest you call the number on that card to understand how medical services will be covered. Health insurance plans are the best price information source for their members. Many health plans have developed cost estimators and other educational tools to help members understand their out-of-pocket obligations and coverage information. Helpful information about these tools for some payers may be found in the links below:

If services are not covered, we will ask you to pay for those services on the day of the visit.

  • At appointment check in:
    • You will have the opportunity to pay outstanding balances.
  • During the appointment, the physician may order tests, evaluations, and/or treatments apart from that appointment.
    • Some of these may result in additional charges.
  • If services provided are not covered by insurance, we can help you understand your payment options. Generally, we ask for a minimum payment on the day of the visit, and bill the balance.