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    Patient Advocate Center

    Contact Us

    How Can We Help You?

    Thank you for choosing Springfield Clinic for your health care needs. We appreciate the opportunity to deliver your medical care and hope the entire experience exceeds your expectations. We understand you may have questions about billing, insurance benefits and payments, so we are here to help!

    All of our locations have fully transitioned to our new electronic health record (EHR), athenahealth, so our print and online billing statements have a new look. Our new EHR athenahealth offers a modern design and provides seamless access to patient information, appointments, medical history and billing in one platform.

    Statements from visits prior to our EHR transition will retain the previous billing format. For assistance understanding the differences between statement types and to access online bill pay options for each, please visit our billing resource page.

    Online

    In addition to our Monday through Friday telephone and in-person representatives, we now offer the ability to submit your questions online any time.

    We are happy to assist you usually within one business day of receiving your online question. Please complete the fields in the online form and let us know the best method for contacting you with the resolution.



    You can also send a message to the PAC via the athenahealth patient portal.

    By Phone

    Call our representatives at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

    Medical interpreters are available to help patients communicate with Clinic staff. For more information, please contact Interpreter Services at 800.444.7541.

    In Person

    If you would prefer to speak with someone face-to-face, we invite you to visit our Customer Service Representatives (except holidays) located at following locations:

    Billing Statements

    Billing statements are mailed from Belfast, Maine.

    Patient statements are sent from Springfield Clinic from athenahealth P.O. Box 14099, Belfast, ME 04915-0633. Payments via check can be mailed to this address.

    Looking for paperless billing? Log into your athenahealth patient portal and choose Billing & Payments and then select the option to go paperless.

    Billing profile changes

    If you have insurance or other account information changes that you would like to inform us about, you can contact us by telephone at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    General FAQs

    Yes – Springfield Clinic will bill your primary and secondary insurances as a courtesy when an assignment of benefits form is signed. Patients should be prepared to resolve disputed coverage issues directly with their insurer or employer.

    • Medicare – Springfield Clinic will bill Medicare and one supplemental insurance.

    • Illinois Public Aid (Medicaid) – The patient must provide a valid Public Aid card at the time of each appointment.

    • Liability Cases – Please inform the receptionist at the time of service of the appropriate liability insurance carrier. Liability Cases would include claims for auto accidents or personal injuries where another party is responsible for your medical bill. If the company name and address are available, Springfield Clinic will send the claim information to the carrier. However, the patient will be held responsible in the event that the claim is not paid by the insurance carrier within two billing cycles.

    You will receive a monthly statement when you owe a balance. This will occur after your insurance company has responded to our billing claim. Statement balances are expected to be paid in full by the due date listed on the statement.

    Any partial payment arrangement must be preapproved by contacting our representatives at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., and Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. You may also log into your patient portal to explore payment options.

    You will be required to make a standard pre-payment at the time of service. This payment may not cover the entire amount owed for the services you receive. You will be billed for any remaining balance.

    For your convenience, we accept payments in a variety of methods. We accept cash, checks, money orders, credit cards and debit cards. Payment is due in full upon receipt of your billing statement. You can also pay in person by visiting with one of our Patient Service Representatives at select locations.

    By internet

    As of January 23, 2024, our print and online billing statements have a new look for patient visits at locations that have changed to our new electronic health record (EHR) athenahealth. To ensure you access your bill on the correct portal, visit this page. We appreciate your understanding during this time of transition. If you have questions about your bills, call us at 217.391.7086.

    By mail

    Please submit your payment in full along with the bottom portion of the billing statement in the return envelope enclosed with your bill.

    By phone

    We accept payments over the telephone via credit card or electronic check free of charge. Please contact us at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    Your online banking

    Springfield Clinic participates with several online bill pay providers used by many of the financial institutions in the central Illinois area. These relationships help to ensure that payments you initiate through your bank’s online service reach us quickly and securely.

    You may receive services from non-Clinic providers, such as laboratory services and pathology services. When this occurs, you will receive a separate bill from that provider.

    Our providers perform services at multiple facilities across Illinois. You may receive a statement from Springfield Clinic even if you were not seen at a Springfield Clinic facility.

    The parent with whom the minor children reside will be considered the responsible party and will receive all billing statements and correspondence.

    Your 18-year-old will be moved from the family account to an account established in their name. The parent will no longer be able to call a customer service representatives to discuss the child’s account without a signed Springfield Clinic consent form on file.

    If you have insurance or other account information changes that you would like to inform us about, please call us at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    There are a number of services or items we furnish our patients that are considered non-covered by health insurers. These services or items become your financial responsibility. In general, services or items that you— not your doctor—request are non-covered (example: cosmetic services). Depending on your insurance coverage, some services or items your doctor determines are medically necessary also might not be covered. Many of our providers will ask for payment at the time of your appointment for services or items they have determined are not covered by insurance.

    For our Medicare patients: you will be asked to sign an advanced beneficiary notice (ABN) which indicates you understand the service or item you are receiving that day is anticipated to be non-covered by Medicare. You may be asked for payment at the time of service.

    When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from balance billing. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance and/or deductible.

    Ask your HR administrator if your insurance plan is fully-funded or self-funded so you know which path to take. There are network adequacy policies in place, but they must receive a consumer complaint to trigger an investigation. 

    If you are part of a fully-funded plan, you can file a complaint with the Illinois Department of Insurance on their website. If you have questions about the complaint process, you can call 877.527.9431 and press 4 for health insurance questions. 

    If you are part of a self-funded plan, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration on their website or by calling 1.866.444.3272 and pressing 2 to talk to your regional office. 

    If you need help with the claims or billing complaint process, please contact the Springfield Clinic Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    Radiology bills come from a different vendor and, therefore, payments are made to a different entity than Springfield Clinic. For help with billing questions, call 630.874.2761 from Monday-Friday, 9-11:30 a.m., 12:30-5 p.m. You can also pay your bill at www.personapay.com/ahsfcr/login.

    Please visit In-Network Insurance to stay up to date on all things Blue Cross Blue Shield.

    Financial Counselors collaborate with patients to explore options, find financial solutions and access assistance from qualifying programs. Financial Counselors answer questions related to bills and Explanation of Benefits, provide substantial discounts for uninsured and self-pay patients and help put patient's minds at ease by helping them navigate their outstanding balances. 

    Since we have transitioned to our new system, the new address for mail processing is in Belfast, Maine (P.O. Box 14099,  Belfast, ME 04915). Mailing your payments to this address will ensure they are processed to your account as soon as possible.

    We recommend you verify the statement you are attempting to scan is your most recent statement. If you are attempting to scan an older statement and the dates of service have already been paid, the statement code will no longer be active since there is no longer a balance due for that.  

    On your athenahealth portal, you can review your statement history, see your current balance and make a payment.  

    You may also contact the Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086 to inquire on your current outstanding balance and payment options. 

    On your athenahealth portal, you can review what your current balance is and see previous payment history.  

    You may also contact the Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086 and an advocate can review your balance and payment history further. 

    Springfield Clinic worked with BCBS to ensure all services were processed correctly under No Surprise Billing Protections, which resulted in a delay in billing.

    You should have received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance provider detailing how your claim was processed. Your Springfield Clinic statement reflects your current patient responsibility.

    We apologize for the delay. If you have any questions about your statement or need to discuss payment options, please contact our Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086.

    If you received radiology services at a Memorial Health System hospital, a Springfield Clinic provider likely reviewed and interpreted your imaging.

    In this case, you will receive:

    • A bill from the hospital for the technical component (the procedure itself).

    • A bill from Springfield Clinic for the professional component (the provider’s interpretation of the image).

    These services are billed separately. For questions, please refer to the contact number on your statement or reach out to our Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086.

    athenahealth Payment Plan FAQs

    Patients are now able to set up automatic payment plans via credit/debit cards for their outstanding balances online via their athenahealth patient portal or online statement pay (watch step-by-step video tutorial here). You may also call the Patient Advocate Center to speak to an Advocate to review your account and discuss payment plan options.

    We can set up a payment plan for the current balance due today. It's important to note that any increase in your balance due to new self-pay charges will not automatically be incorporated into your existing payment plan.

    Full payment for any balance outside of a payment plan will be due according to our standard statement process. If you wish to include these new charges in your existing payment plan, please contact our Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086 to make the necessary arrangements.

    Please be aware that including these new charges may result in an increase in your monthly payment.

    Payments can be processed via credit card or debit card.

    If you choose to pay with a debit or credit card, the card information is securely stored by our credit card processor, Elavon, Inc. When the payment transaction is executed on the payment plan contract date, a receipt of this transaction is sent to your email address on file confirming the payment.

    Payments will be posted to your account within five days.

    Unfortunately, we are unable to combine balances from separate systems. Please reach out to our Patient Advocate Center at 217.391.7086 and a patient advocate will assist you in setting up an option agreeable to both parties.

    Yes, statements from the athenahealth system will display the total balance due, the payment amount and the remaining duration of the payment plan.

    We need your signed consent to charge your credit or debit card each month for the agreed amount of your payment plan.

    If you are requesting a payment plan over the phone, you will receive a link via text or email. During the call, your patient advocate will provide you with a passcode. Access the link and enter the passcode as instructed by the advocate. Once you've entered the passcode, the advocate will proceed to click “check updated digital consent status,” and your payment plan will be activated.

    When initiating a payment plan, the plan will only include the claims selected at the time of set up. To include future balances, you will need to contact our Patient Advocate Center to update the payment plan.

    The existing payment plan will need to be ended and a new payment plan must be established with the updated credit card details.

    To make any changes to your payment plan, please contact the Patient Advocate Center for assistance.

    If the suggested payment plans do not work for you, please contact the Patient Advocate Center. One of our Advocates will review your balance and discuss alternative payment options.

    The online payment plan feature requires a credit or debit card for automatic monthly payments. If you cannot do the autopayment option, please contact the Patient Advocate Center and one of our Advocates will be able to review your balance and discuss payment options.

    Not all patient balances qualify for the online payment plan feature. If you cannot set up a payment plan, please contact the Patient Advocate Center. An Advocate will review your account and discuss available payment options.

    Explanation of Benefits

    Your insurance company should send you a form explaining what they paid on charges submitted by your physician. This form is referred to as the Explanation of Benefits, or “EOB” for short. Your Explanation of Benefits will tell you if your charges were applied to your deductible or denied for some reason. They will also tell you how much was paid, how much was adjusted off due to the contractual agreement between your insurer and your provider, and how much is left for you to pay.

    Most EOB’s show a breakdown of the charges under several headings which usually read from left to right. The most common headings are:

    • Date of Service - the date of the appointment or procedure. Services - codes used by the medical provider to tell the insurance company what services were rendered to the patient.

    • Amount Billed - the amount of charges submitted by the medical provider.

    • Approved Amount - the amount the insurance company approved for payment. Insurance companies often have pre-determined dollar amounts that they consider “usual and customary” for each medical service code. This pre-determined amount is often different than what your medical provider charges for that service. Depending on the contract or agreement between your insurance company and medical provider, or lack thereof, the difference between the Approved Amount and the billed amount may be adjusted (reduced to $0) or transferred to Patient Responsibility (see below).

    • Amount Paid - the amount the insurance company paid to the medical provider for the services rendered.

    • Applied to Deductible - the amount of charges that the insurance company has applied to the deductible. Most insurance plans require the patient to pay for a certain portion of their medical charges each plan year before the insurance coverage begins to pay. This is called the plan deductible and it comprises a portion of the total Patient Responsibility (see below).

    • Applied to Co-insurance – the amount of charges that the insurance company has applied to the co-insurance element of the plan. Some insurance plans require the patient to pay for a percentage of the charges for each medical service. This is called co-insurance and it comprises a portion of the total Patient Responsibility (see below).

    • Patient Responsibility - the amount you owe. This is made up of the deductible, co-insurance and any charges not covered by the insurance plan.

    • Denial Codes - Sometimes the insurance company will deny (refuse to pay) a charge for some reason. In this case, the EOB will contain alpha or numeric codes next to each procedure which indicate the reason for the denial. The explanation of these codes will often be found at the bottom of the page or on the reverse of the EOB. Some denial codes require the patient to contact the insurance carrier in order to resolve questions or other issues that are preventing payment from being made.

    Patient Tip:

    We recommend that you compare your insurance EOB’s to the bill received from the medical provider. Check to see if the payment was posted correctly and the amount owed on the bill matches the amount indicated on the EOB. Springfield Clinic makes this comparison easier by including detailed charge and payment information on all Clinic statements. Any questions can be directed to our representatives at 217.391.7086 Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.

    Payment Information

    AffordaPay™

    Springfield Clinic patients with budget payment plans were notified by mail that their budget plan account balance would be transferred to AffordaPay™ for servicing and management.  AffordaPay is an extended payment program from Orion Portfolio Services, LLC, (formerly U.S. Asset Management), a national leader in health care financial services. AffordaPay™ provides financial services similar to Springfield Clinic’s budget plan program, including 0% APR and set payment amounts. AffordaPay FAQs

    • AffordaPay™ is an industry leader in healthcare financial services— not a collection agency or credit card company.

    • Through AffordaPay™, patients will continue to pay off their account balance interest free with 0% APR in manageable monthly payments. 

    • Payments options include US mail, telephone, auto-pay setup and an online account management portal - www.AffordaPay.com

    • Contact information:
      AffordaPay™
      PO box 15055

      Wilmington DE, 19850
      217.210.6682 or 855.484.3143 (toll free)
             www.AffordaPay.com

    • Call center hours (central time zone): Mon-Thurs, 8am-8pm  |  Fri, 8am-5pm  |  Sat, 8am-12pm

    AffordaPay by Orion Portfolio Services, LLC. A fully compliant debt purchase solutions provider

    Welcome to Orion Portfolio Services, LLC AffordaPay program. AffordaPay allows guarantors more options to pay off balances with interest free monthly payments. Our AffordaPay team looks forward to assist.

    Good Faith Estimate

    You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your medical care will cost. If you don’t have health insurance or you plan to pay for health care bills yourself, generally, health care providers and facilities must give you an estimate of expected charges when you schedule an appointment for a health care item or service, or if you ask for an estimate. This is called a “good faith estimate.”“

    A good faith estimate isn’t a bill

    The good faith estimate shows the list of expected charges for items or services from your provider or facility. Because the good faith estimate is based on information known at the time your provider or facility creates the estimate, it won’t include any unknown or unexpected costs that may be added during your treatment. Generally, the good faith estimate must include expected charges for:

    • The primary item or service

    • Any other items or services you’re reasonably expected to get as part of the primary item or service for that period of care.

    The estimate might not include every item or service you get from another provider or facility, even if some items or services may seem connected to the same service. For example, if you’re getting surgery, the good faith estimate could include the cost of the surgery, anesthesia, any lab services, or tests. In some cases, items or services related to the surgery that are scheduled separately, like certain pre-surgery appointments or physical therapy in the weeks after the surgery, might not be included in the good faith estimate. You’ll get a separate good faith estimate when you schedule those items or services with the provider or facility, or if you ask for it.

    Your right to a good faith estimate

    Providers and facilities must give you the good faith estimate:

    • After you schedule a health care item or service. If you schedule an item or service at least 3 business days before the date you’ll get the item or service, the provider must give you a good faith estimate no later than 1 business day after scheduling. If you schedule the item or service OR ask for cost information about it at least 10 business days before the date you get the item or service, the provider or facility must give you a good faith estimate no later than 3 business days after you schedule or ask for the estimate.

    • That includes a list of each item or service (with the provider or facility), and specific details, like the health care service code.

    • In a way that’s accessible to you, like in large print, Braille, audio files, or other forms of communication.

    Providers and facilities must also explain the good faith estimate to you over the phone or in person if you ask, then follow up with a written (paper or electronic) estimate, per your preferred form of communication.

    To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers or call 1-800-985-3059. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers or call 1-800-985-3059.

    *Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers)