FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What is the office location, contact information and where do I park?
Our office is in the Neiman Marcus building on Michigan Avenue, in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood (737 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 960). The main entrance is on Chicago Avenue, ½ block East of Michigan Avenue. There is parking within the building. Discounted (with validation from our office) parking is available at Northwestern Memorial’s Lot A, at 222 East Huron just East of St. Clair Street . Limited street parking is available, but can require walking several blocks. If you are having a procedure performed at the 900 N. Michigan Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC), free parking (with validation) is provided in the 900 N. Michigan parking.
Our office phone is 312-416-4363 fax 312-416-4363 and answering service 312-416-9363.
2. The Global Health Partners bills using a “Fee For Service” model. What is “Fee-For-Service” medicine?
In Fee-For-Service Medicine, your physician and their team work directly for you. The practice sets reasonable (and fully transparent) fees for their professional services. You are responsible for paying the doctor at the time of your visit. Some insurances will reimburse patients who submit requests for repayment, at out-of-network rates.
3. Why Fee-For-Service Medicine?
In the last decade, for better and for worse, the medical system has undergone dramatic changes. Unfortunately, changes in the way physicians are reimbursed have led to most physicians becoming employees of “corporate medicine”– that is, working for large organizations in which they must see increasing numbers of patients for shorter and shorter times, transfer care to “physician extenders,” follow insurance guidelines in making care decisions, and increasingly focus on data entry. This system has led to tremendous physician “burn-out” and many unhappy patients.
Our physicians feel they can care for you better and focus more on you as a patient without the interference of an insurance company. Unlike hospital systems, which mark-up their “retail” prices in order to negotiate discounts with insurances, we offer fully transparent and reasonable prices (about 30% lower than hospital systems). Many patients find that seeing our physicians ultimately costs them less; for example, hospital system patients with large deductibles get stuck paying those inflated retail prices in full. Since we do not engage with 3rd Party payors, you can be assured that you will not receive any future bills from us for our services and you will know exactly how much any care costs. Get Global Health Partners’ 2019 fee schedule here
4. Can I use an HSA or FSA account?
Yes, you can use Pre-tax FSA or HSA money to pay for our health care treatments.
5. What if I need MRIs, lab tests, surgery or hospitalization? Will my insurance cover those?
Yes. Our Fee-For-Service billing only relates to your physician’s fee. Your insurance will cover other services in accordance with the terms of your policy. We will work with your insurance to pre-authorize any tests or procedures we order, when required by your insurance.
6. If my doctor performs a procedure at the Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC), what will be covered by my insurance?
Bills for ASC/hospital procedures include two parts: a physician-fee and a facility-fee. You are responsible for paying our practice for the physician fee (by far, the lower of the fees). The ASC is a preferred in-network provider for most insurances, and we will work together to pre-authorize procedures with insurances. If you do not have or wish to access your insurance, you can discuss payment of the ASC fees directly with them. We have negotiated favorable cash pay rates for the ASC services for our patients.
By our choice, Global Health Partners does not maintain any agreements with or have any financial arrangements with any hospital or ASC. Unlike many physicians, we do not receive any referral incentive or compensation from any ASC or hospital.
7. Can I get money back from my insurance company for any treatments that I have?
Most likely, Yes. Global Health Partners will provide the form you must submit to your insurance, including diagnostic and procedure codes and progress notes. You must submit all the requested documents to the insurer as per their guidelines. We cannot guarantee any reimbursement from the insurer. In order to keep our overhead costs, and your fees, as low as possible, we do not have a billing department to engage the insurer.
8. Will this payment count towards my deductible?
Likely it will, but, only your insurer can tell you for sure. If the insurer agrees to reimburse you for the treatment, then it should count towards your deductible. To be sure, you will need to contact your insurer.
9. How will my other doctors know about what you are doing for me?
We send letters to referral doctors and any you request. Since we our focus is highly personalized care, through a smaller and lower volume practice, we are pleased to call or speak with your doctors, physical therapists, families or others you wish to engage.
10. My doctor sent me to you but I don’t want to spend money to see a doctor. What should I do?
We can recommend several fine colleagues who are board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation or Pain Management; of course, we cannot guarantee their services. Please know that we do not maintain any financial relationship with any physician or facility which we refer to or recommend to you.