Billing

During a standard wellness exam, also known as an annual physical, you and your doctor:

• Talk about your overall health 
• Review or order certain health measurements, such as your weight, blood pressure and cholesterol
• Confirm whether your health has changed since your last wellness exam
• Set health and wellness goals for the coming year 

Most insurance companies fully cover this type of preventive care visit.

But if your doctor spends part of your wellness visit diagnosing new illnesses or injuries, you may need to pay an additional co-pay or co-insurance. That’s because your insurance company may not cover extra “sick care” services provided during a traditional wellness visit.

If you’re not feeling well before your annual physical, or you think you may need care for a new medical problem, please schedule an appointment with your doctor separate from your wellness exam. 

After you receive care at a Scripps facility, you’ll usually receive one bill that lists all hospital and professional charges on a single statement. 

But in certain circumstances, you may still receive separate bills for medical services provided by third parties. That’s because Scripps contracts with some outside providers who manage their own billing. This may include charges for:

• Ambulance services
• Anesthesia
• Durable medical equipment (such as crutches, walkers or oxygen supplies) 
• Emergency physician services
• Pathology (laboratory) services

If you have questions about any bills sent to you by these outside providers, please call them directly using the phone number printed on their billing statement.

There are several reasons you may receive a bill after your appointment, even if you paid some charges up front. Here are common reasons for an additional bill:

• Your payment may have been applied as a deposit at the time of check-in, and your new bill shows the remaining balance due (minus that deposit)
• It may take several business days for your payment to be processed and then deducted from the amount you now owe
• Even if you paid a co-pay when you checked in for your appointment, your health insurance plan may require you to pay additional co-pay or co-insurance amounts

Make sure you ask for receipts showing all payments you’ve made and keep those receipts in a safe place. That way, if you are billed in error, you have proof of payment. Learn tips to organize your medical bills.

Under most health insurance plans, you must meet the deductible for your primary health plan before your secondary health plan will start paying for services. Visit our glossary of billing terms to learn more about deductibles.

If you still think you were billed in error, please contact your health plan directly. They can confirm whether both health plans have been billed and whether you’ve met your annual deductible.

Scripps contracts with some outside, third-party physicians who provide services for our patients but manage their own billing. This may include charges for:

• Anesthesia services provided by anesthesiologists
• Medical care provided by emergency medicine doctors
• Laboratory services provided by pathologists

For example, if you needed specialty lab tests or received anesthesia during a medical procedure, you may receive a separate bill from those providers.

Yes. Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive billing estimate or want a guest billing estimate for certain services, Scripps has everything you need to get your questions answered on your estimated medical costs. Learn how to get a billing estimate.

If you can’t find your bill in MyScripps, it could be because your bill is from a third-party provider.

When you use our billing system, you will not see bills for some medical services provided by third parties. This may include charges for:

• Ambulance services
• Anesthesia
• Durable medical equipment (such as crutches, walkers or oxygen supplies) 
• Emergency physician services
• Pathology (laboratory) services

Any bills sent to you directly by a third-party provider should be paid promptly, or you will continue to receive monthly bills for the outstanding balance.

Yes. If you received medical care at Scripps, you must pay for any services not covered by your insurance company. 

If you’ve received a bill that you cannot afford to pay in full, please call our billing office at 877-727-4777. We can help you set up a payment plan or explore other programs you may qualify for to help paying your bill.

Some payments (including co-pays) are due up front. Please be prepared to pay the co-pay for your primary care, specialist, urgent care or emergency room visit at the time of service. 

Once you receive a bill for any remaining charges due, please pay it within 30 days.

Scripps works hard to make sure patients are billed accurately. When you check in for an appointment, your insurance card and other forms of ID help us make sure you are who you say you are. We also need to ensure your personal information is up to date, so we can bill the right insurance company and send any remaining billing statements to the right address.

Unfortunately, no. Each family member is considered an individual patient, and their insurance coverage and account balances are processed separately from other family members.

If you have children who are covered under your insurance plan, their bills are sent to the parent or guardian who is designated as the guarantor (financially responsible party).

If you and your covered spouse or dependents all receive care at Scripps, you will receive a bill for each individual family member. If you don’t pay each bill in full within 30 days, you will receive another bill the following month for the remaining balance due. 

Under certain circumstances, you or your family members may also receive separate bills for medical services provided by third parties. That’s because Scripps contracts with some outside providers who manage their own billing. This may include charges for:

• Ambulance services
• Anesthesia
• Durable medical equipment (such as crutches, walkers or oxygen supplies) 
• Emergency physician services
• Pathology (laboratory) services

Any bills sent to you directly by a third-party provider must also be paid promptly, or you will continue to receive monthly bills for the outstanding balance.

Yes. You can quickly and easily pay your bill online by logging into your secure MyScripps account. Don’t have a MyScripps account yet? Sign up for free today. 

You can securely save your credit card information to make payments quicker and more convenient by following the steps below:

• Log in to MyScripps patient portal
• Click “Billing Summary”
• Click “View balance details”
• Then, click the credit card icon and complete the following steps:
• Select the amount you would like to pay
• Choose apply your payment automatically or to pay for a specific visit
• Add your credit / debit card
• Enter your card information and press submit
• Your card is now saved for future use
• You can also choose to add an additional payment method

It’s important to understand what services your insurance plan covers — before you receive care. Prior to an upcoming doctor’s appointment, test, medical procedure or hospital stay, contact your insurance company to confirm whether your care will be covered and to find out how much you’ll need to pay out-of-pocket.

Before you receive certain types of medical care, your insurance company may require your doctor to submit a request or referral for those services. 

Once your insurance company reviews the request — a process that can take up to 10 business days — they will let Scripps know whether the request was approved or denied. Scripps will then let you know about your insurance company’s decision. 

Keep in mind, approval for a service does not necessarily mean the service will be paid for by your insurance company. You may be responsible for co-pays, co-insurance or other charges. Please refer to your benefit materials. You can also contact your physician’s office for additional information.

Aligning with our mission to keep the patient at the center of all we do, Scripps launched a new single billing statement and office on May 1, 2019. 

The new single billing office at Scripps will:

• Provide you with a single statement for hospital fees and physician fees together on one bill, with easy-to-understand language and explanations 
• Allow you to send in one check or payment to cover both hospital and physician balances
• Be easily reached at a single phone number (877-727-4777) and expertly answer your billing questions about hospital stays, outpatient procedures and Scripps Clinic charges
• Provide information on financial assistance 
• Set up one payment plan for both self-pay balances beginning May 1, 2019

Under certain circumstances, you or your family members may receive separate bills for medical services provided by third parties. That’s because Scripps contracts with some outside providers who manage their own billing. This may include charges for:

• Ambulance services
• Anesthesia
• Durable medical equipment (such as crutches, walkers or oxygen supplies) 
• Emergency physician services
• Pathology (laboratory) services