Billing, insurance topics

Please bring your insurance card and copay with you to each visit.

If your insurance card indicates a copay is required, you will be asked to pay it when you check in for your appointment. Park Nicollet accepts cash, checks, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, American Express, debit cards and Capital One financing. To learn more about Capital One financing for pre-paid services, call Patient Financial Services, 952-993-7672.

Your insurance company may or may not cover services provided at Park Nicollet Clinic and Methodist Hospital. We accept most major insurance plans. Please contact your insurance company for benefit-specific questions and to see if your insurance is accepted at Park Nicollet Clinic or Methodist Hospital.

Your insurance company can tell you if you need a referral, if you need to pay a deductible or if you have any other restrictions.

Yes. Call 952-993-5586 to receive a good-faith estimate based on the information you provide. Please be aware that actual charges may be greater or less than the estimate, depending upon the level of service provided or if services are different than what is requested before the actual visit. We are not able to tell if the requested service is covered by your individual insurance plan. Call your insurance company to confirm coverage.

For information about average charges and reimbursements for a variety of Park Nicollet services, please refer to our "Services pricing."

A deductible is the amount of a claim each policy holder agrees to pay annually for medical care. To learn your specific deductible, contact your insurance provider.

Every insurance plan provides different benefits and may not fully cover your visit. If you feel there is a billing error, first compare your billing statement with the "Explanation of Benefits" your insurance company provided. If they match, you owe the amount on your bill. If the amounts do not match, call Park Nicollet Customer Service at 952-993-7672, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you feel your insurance company has denied a charge in error or processed your charge incorrectly, please contact the customer service telephone number on the back of your insurance card.

If you paid your bill within the past 10 days, please allow more time for us to post the payment to your account. If a balance still shows on your next statement, contact Customer Service.

Some insurance plans, such as Medicare, do not cover physical exams or preventive visits. Contact your insurance company to see if physical examinations or preventive visits are covered.

If other medical conditions were addressed during your exam that required more evaluation, you may be billed for that service. Insurance carriers require accurate reporting from doctors when preventive care and additional problems are addressed during the same visit. So while you may be taking care of two health care concerns at one time, your insurer may see it as taking care of two office visits in one and assess your benefits accordingly.

We understand it can be confusing to receive several bills. Your hospital visit will include charges for using hospital services and charges for the doctors involved in your care. Each of these charges is billed separately.

Some hospital visits include services such as reading radiology images, analyzing laboratory specimens, consultations or providing anesthesia. These services are billed separate from the charge for staying in the hospital.

If you received care at our emergency center, you will receive a billing statement from EPPA (Emergency Physicians Professional Association). If you come to the hospital by ambulance, you also may receive a billing statement from the ambulance service.

Call the customer service telephone number on the statement you are questioning.

Privacy regulations limit medical information we can share with you. To discuss details about a family member or friend's bill with a customer service representative, you must first complete a "Permission to Verbally Discuss Information" form (PDF). Download, print and mail the attached form.

If you want an itemized bill, call Customer Service at 952-993-7672, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Call Customer Service at 952-993-7672 to request an itemized statement.

If your balance is less than $400, call Patient Financial Services at 952-993-7672, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., to set up a balance plan. If your balance is more than $400, you can set up a payment plan or apply for financial assistance. Download financial assistance application (PDF).

Park Nicollet recognizes the financial hardships health care needs can create.

If you feel your income is not sufficient to pay for your services at Park Nicollet, you may qualify for our financial assistance program, which is based on your income, assets and family size.

To find out more, read our frequently asked questions about financial assistance.

Before applying for our financial assistance program, patients must first apply for and fully use any available governmental assistance. This requirement is so we conserve these funds for people with no other source of payment. See the next question for much more detail.

If you feel you meet eligibility requirements for Park Nicollet's financial assistance program, complete and mail in the financial assistance application (PDF).

Minnesota offers several health care programs to people who qualify. Please see the following information on Medical Assistance (MA) to help you determine possible eligibility.

The Uninsured Discount Program is designed to assist Methodist Hospital patients whose medically necessary care is not covered by insurance and family gross income is less than $125,000. Charges for services provided at Methodist Hospital can be considered for the discount. These may include room charges, meals, laboratory tests, X-rays and medical supplies.

The discount does not include surgeons, consultants, specialists, radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists or other professional fees. These doctors will bill their charges separately to you.

To apply for the Uninsured Discount Program, complete the Uninsured Discount form (PDF) and financial assistance application (PDF) and mail the forms to the following address:

Patient Financial Services
Park Nicollet Health Services
3800 Park Nicollet Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55416

Mail a check or the completed credit card form on the front of your billing statement to the address listed on the statement or the address below.

Park Nicollet Clinic
P.O. Box 9104
Minneapolis, MN 55480

Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital
P.O. Box 1523
Minneapolis, MN 55480

You also may call Customer Service at 952-993-7672.

You can update your insurance information or billing address by fax or mail.

Fax a copy of the front and back of your insurance card to 952-993-2770. Please include your account number or name and date of birth. Do this with each family member.

You also can fill out the form on the back of your billing statement and mail it to the listed address.

By phone
Call Customer Service at 952-993-7672 or toll free 888-826-6958, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with any billing questions.

In person
We welcome walk-in inquiries Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Park Nicollet Clinic—St. Louis Park, 3850 Building, 2nd floor, near Family Medicine.

Patient access liaisons (PALs) can help you in person with billing questions and financial assistance programs, plus accepts payments, seven days a week at Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, Suite 1-615. You also may contact PALS by telephone at 952-993-5586 or e-mail at pals@parknicollet.com .

By mail
Customer Service
Park Nicollet Health Services
3800 Park Nicollet Blvd.
St. Louis Park, MN 55416

You can e-mail us questions about your bill, but we will respond by telephone, as standard e-mail does not offer protection of your confidential information.