Quincy Reporter

Blessing Health System issued the following announcement on June 5.

Patients understand that delivering health care is complex. But they don’t want their bill to be that way. Blessing Health System is responding to that request and has begun issuing a consolidated patient bill in response.

The single bill will cover any charge for care provided by Blessing Physician Services (BPS) in Quincy or any of its rural health clinics, Blessing Hospital and Illini Community Hospital in Pittsfield. Charges for imaging and laboratory test interpretation by radiologists and pathologists are not currently part of the Blessing consolidated patient bill. The first consolidated bills were issued the week of June 1.

“Of the feedback I have received during my decade leading this health system, simplified billing is among the most common,” said Maureen Kahn, president/chief executive officer, Blessing Health System and Blessing Hospital. “We had to wait until technology advanced enough for us to deliver a solution. Technology has reached that point and Blessing is glad to be able to meet this request from patients.”

“Not only will a patient’s bill be less complex, it will also be easier to access and to pay online,” said Patrick Gerveler, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Blessing Health System. “BPS, and Blessing and Illini hospitals will have one online bill payment link that can be accessed through the patient portal and the health system website. It will be linked to the Blessing App later this summer. The bill itself will also be available to the patient on those three platforms.”

If a patient would like to create a payment plan, that process will be less complicated, too. Instead of a payment plan for each of the three providers, only one plan will be needed. Information about payment plan options, and the ability to activate and manage a plan, will be linked to the consolidated bill should a patient be interested. Under the current system, interested patients must make a separate phone to accomplish those tasks.

Due to differences in their organizational structures from other health system affiliates, Hannibal Clinic and Denman Services, Inc., stores in Quincy, Macomb, Pittsfield and Hannibal will continue to issue separate bills to their patients and customers.

Original source can be found here.

Source: Blessing Health System