Paying medical bills can be confusing and stressful. With different billing codes, insurance adjustments, and statements coming from multiple providers, it’s easy to get lost. However, Advocate Aurora Health has thankfully streamlined the process through My Advocate Aurora Account.
As a long-time patient of Advocate Aurora clinics and hospitals, I’ve had the pleasure of using their online bill pay system for years. It’s been a real life-saver in keeping track of what I owe and handling payments promptly. In this article I’ll walk through the key benefits of using My Advocate Aurora Account for bill pay and share tips for getting the most out of it.
Consolidating Bills in One Place
One of the best things about My Advocate Aurora Account is that it consolidates all your outstanding balances into one place. Instead of receiving separate statements from the hospital, lab, individual doctors, and more, you can view and manage everything seamlessly online.
Within your account, you can see current bills as well as payment history going back several years This makes it easy to track down any discrepancies and have all the information at your fingertips You don’t have to hunt down a dozen different statements when you need to check something.
This consolidation is incredibly helpful if you’ve received care across Advocate Aurora’s network. Whether you were seen at an immediate care clinic outpatient center or one of their hospitals, the charges all show up in the same place. No more sorting bills or making multiple payments!
24/7 Access and Payment Flexibility
Another perk of using My Advocate Aurora Account for bill pay is being able to access your balance and make payments at any time. The online portal is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can log in on a weekend evening or during your lunch break at work. The flexibility makes it easy to stay on top of payments and avoid late fees.
Within the portal, you have various payment options available. You can pay by credit card, debit card, HSA or FSA account, and even set up a payment plan if needed.
Advocate Aurora also offers autopay capabilities, where your payment is automatically processed each month. This can be super helpful for managing large, ongoing balances and ensuring your payments go through on time.
Clear Cost Estimates and Price Transparency
Trying to determine what a procedure or hospital stay will cost with insurance can be next to impossible. Thankfully, Advocate Aurora provides tools that make it easy to estimate your out-of-pocket costs for upcoming care.
Within your My Advocate Aurora Account, you can request a cost estimate based on your specific insurance plan and benefits. The estimate takes into account contracted rates with your insurer and details both your total responsibility as well as what insurance will likely cover.
Having these estimates helps me budget for upcoming healthcare expenses. I also appreciate how it makes the overall pricing and experience much more transparent.
Managing Family Members’ Accounts
As a parent, I love that I can manage my entire family’s Advocate Aurora bills from my account. When my children receive care, I simply add them as dependents in my profile. Then I can view their outstanding balances and payment history alongside my own.
I can also make payments on their behalf, without needing to log in and out of multiple accounts. It’s very convenient for handling expenses for my spouse and children in one place.
Advocate Aurora also allows you to give family members access to view the accounts, while maintaining your role as the account administrator. This can help older kids or parents monitor their medical spending.
Applying for Financial Assistance
Health care bills add up quickly, even with good insurance. When facing large balances, it can be hard to manage. However, Advocate Aurora offers financial assistance programs that can provide you with discounts based on your income and expenses.
Within My Advocate Aurora Account, you can fill out an application for financial assistance right online. They will review your eligibility for federal, state, or private financial aid programs that can significantly reduce what you owe.
The quick and easy application process takes the stress out of seeking discounted care. Within a few weeks, you’ll receive a decision on whether you qualify for lower costs.
Tips for Managing Your Account
As someone who has managed medical bills for my family for years through My Advocate Aurora Account, I’ve picked up some useful tips along the way. Here are a few tricks for making the most of your online bill pay experience:
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Add new dependents right away – Don’t wait until you need to pay a bill to add children or a spouse. Add them as soon as possible so their accounts are established.
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Set up autopay – Take advantage of autopay so you never miss a payment. You can cancel or adjust the automated payment at any time.
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Check your bills thoroughly – Review each statement closely and make sure you recognize all the charges from your visits and care. Report anything suspicious or unclear immediately.
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Communicate with the billing department – If you have a dispute or question, reach out to Advocate Aurora’s billing team for help. They can explain charges or correct errors.
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Use payment plans – If a large balance won’t fit in your budget month-to-month, set up a payment plan to divide costs over 6-12 months. The payments are interest-free!
An Invaluable Healthcare Billing Tool
As healthcare costs continue to rise, having tools to manage bills efficiently becomes more and more critical. My Advocate Aurora Account has been invaluable over the years for paying off balances promptly and painlessly.
The ability to view all family members’ accounts in one place, estimate upcoming costs, make payments around the clock, and apply for financial aid provides immense relief. I never have to waste an afternoon sorting medical bills or miss a payment deadline again thanks to the online portal.
If you are an Advocate Aurora patient, I highly recommend taking full advantage of your account. The bill pay features can simplify what is often a frustrating and confusing process. Your mind will rest easier knowing you have an accurate overview of what you owe and the ability to handle it seamlessly any time.
I stayed in the hospital overnight, but my insurance company processed the claim as an outpatient stay. Is this correct?
When you were admitted to the hospital, your doctor may have placed you under Observation status. This gives him or her extra time to monitor your condition, decide if you can be treated as an outpatient, or see if you’ll need to be admitted to the hospital. If you’re covered by Medicare, your doctor is usually granted up to 48 hours to make this decision.
If you stayed overnight but your insurance company processed an outpatient stay, it’s probably because you were admitted as an observation patient and your doctor determined your condition did not require an inpatient stay.
How can I confirm that my insurance plan will cover my visit?
First, you need to find out which services you’ll be receiving at your visit, and how those services will be coded and billed to your insurance company.
Once you know the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for the services you’ll be receiving, you can contact your insurance company to verify your plan covers those services and to find out how they’ll be paid.
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Do Aurora Health care & advocate health care send bills separately?
As a reminder, Aurora Health Care, Aurora Health at Home, and Advocate Health Care send bills separately. If you have payment plans for more than one of these entities, you must enter your new card information for each of them separately. What do I do if there is a billing error?
How do I pay my Aurora Health at home Bill?
You can make a payment through the Aurora Health at Home patient portal for current services received since May 2022 for infusion therapy and since January 2023 for home medical equipment. You can pay your bill here for home medical equipment services prior to January 2023 and for infusion therapy services prior to May 2022.
When can I pay my Aurora Medical Equipment Bill?
You can pay your bill here for home medical equipment services prior to January 2023 and for infusion therapy services prior to May 2022. Cost of care We’ll help you estimate the cost of your service or compare costs between Aurora and other providers.
How do I contact Aurora Health at home?
Call 800-326-2250 for English or 866-629-6033 for Spanish to speak with a representative. For Aurora Health at Home, call 877-576-3545. Send us your Aurora billing question via secure message, and we’ll respond within three business days. Send message