Billing FAQs

Yes, our Financial Clearance team can provide a cost estimate if you make an appointment in advance by phone. Additionally, we automatically send estimates by email for families to review.

To contact our Financial Clearance Center, call 602-933-6696 and follow the automated prompts.

If you haven’t scheduled your services yet but would like a cost estimate, you can call our financial counselors at 602-933-2000. They’re available Mon. – Fri. from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona Time (MST, no daylight savings).

Hospital coverage often has a deductible or out-of-pocket expense you must pay before full coverage applies. Because each insurance plan is different, it’s important to review your benefits carefully and contact your insurance company if you have questions about coverage or expenses.

Estimates are based on the typical care people receive. Your final bill may be higher or lower depending on the exact services you needed during your visit.

It depends. Sometimes, patients may stay overnight at the hospital under “observation status.” Observation status is when a patient’s doctor needs to evaluate their condition to see if they’d benefit from admission to the hospital as an inpatient. Although the patient may stay at the hospital overnight, they are still considered an outpatient of the hospital.

With observation status, your insurance will pay on an outpatient basis. You will be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses, such as copayments and deductibles. If, later, your doctor confirms that you or your child should be admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, we’ll notify you of the change from outpatient to inpatient status.

An outpatient surgery center is a location separate from a hospital’s main operating room where surgeons can provide services for their patients. Doctors decide the best location for surgery based on how complex the procedure is and the patient’s medical status.

Sometimes it can be less expensive when a procedure is performed at an outpatient surgery center instead of a hospital operating room. However, the cost depends on many factors, including the length of the procedure, materials, anesthesia and recovery time.

Primary care doctors often ask another doctor to check on patients while they’re in the hospital. If your doctor orders a specialty consult or any additional services (therapy, radiology or labs), they should explain them to you first. You can refuse to have the service.

You may receive two bills for this additional service: one from Phoenix Children’s and one from Phoenix Children’s Medical Group or an outside physician practice for the individual doctor’s time.

A facility charge covers the cost of running the hospital or clinic. These costs include supplies, equipment, exam rooms and non-physician staff. Facility charges vary based on whether a patient is a new or existing patient, the type of visit and the resources required to give effective treatment.

The State of Arizona licenses Phoenix Children’s Specialty Clinics as hospital-based clinics. Because of this license, our clinics have the same facility charge as a visit to Phoenix Children’s Hospital – Thomas Campus. This approach is standard for most other hospital-based clinics across the country.

It depends on your specific insurance plan. Some insurance companies cover the entire facility charge. Other insurance companies cover a percentage of the facility charge. It’s best to check first with your insurance company on their coverage of hospital-based clinic facility charges, so you know what to expect.

Phoenix Children’s bills patients for both facility and professional services. We bill this way to comply with regulations set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the insurance industry. When you visit Phoenix Children’s or one of our clinics, you may receive one statement but more than one bill:

• The bill you receive from Phoenix Children’s is for using our facility (also known as facility charges).
• The bill you receive from Phoenix Children’s Medical Group is for the physicians, radiologists and other specialists we employ.
• Other clinicians may bill you separately from their own practices (also known as professional fees).

You might get a charge from a doctor who looked at your test results, such as a radiologist (who reads X-rays) or a pathologist (who reads lab tests). They help behind the scenes.

“Level of Care” means how serious your condition was and what kind of care you needed. Your cost estimate is based on an average (mid-level) level of care, but your actual level of care could change.

Even though you were seen in the clinic, the kind of procedure you had is grouped under something called an "operating room" charge. This status doesn’t always mean you were in a big hospital operating room – it just means the type of care or tools that were used are like what we usually use in an operating room and count as a special procedure.  

We also bill for something called facility charges. These charges include using the space, equipment and staff support needed to safely do your procedure.

A professional fee is the bill from the doctor(s) who treated your child. When your doctor works directly for Phoenix Children's, the bill will come from Phoenix Children’s Medical Group (PCMG).  

However, we have many doctors on our medical staff, who meet our rigorous requirements for training and experience, but Phoenix Children’s doesn’t employ them. You will receive a bill directly from their practice for their professional fees. Depending upon the complexity of your child’s condition and the services provided, you may receive bills from multiple doctors.

The date on your bill may not match your visit date if test results, such as X-rays or lab work (pathology), are reviewed on a different day than your visit. You can ask for a copy of your medical records if you’d like to confirm.

You can always request your medical records to check what was done during your visit.

Yes, you may request an itemized billing statement that details the services Phoenix Children’s or Phoenix Children’s Medical Group provided. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to the Patient Portal.
2. From the Billing tab, select Itemized Statements.
3. Select a visit statement to view or download a PDF.

Questions? Contact our toll-free phone number 800-549-3743 Mon. – Fri.: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona Time (MST, no daylight savings).

Yes, Phoenix Children’s offers online bill payments through our online bill portal or the “Billing” tab in the Patient Portal.

If you receive a statement from Phoenix Children’s or Phoenix Children’s Medical Group, you’ve already been assigned authentication information to log in and access online bill pay.

In the online bill portal, you can:

• Get answers to your billing questions
• View your account balance and statements
• Make a payment by credit card
• Set up a payment plan (if applicable)
• Set up text or email reminders

Yes, we promise to protect your personal information. Your browser and our secure server encrypt confidential information during transmission, ensuring that all information stays private and protected.

We use state-of-the-art secure sockets layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption and are proud to be a VeriSign Secure site. You can select the VeriSign logo to verify our membership and our commitment to your security.

Make sure that your browser is SSL-enabled. You should always upgrade browser software to the latest version for optimum security.

The best way to see if you’ve paid more or less than what you owe is to review your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company. The EOB shows how your insurance applied payments to your account and what you may still owe. If something doesn’t look right or you're unsure, contact our Billing Customer Service team at 602-933-8700.

Local Phone Number: 602-726-8492
Toll-Free Phone Number: 800-549-3743
Hours: Mon. – Fri.: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona Time (MST, no daylight savings)

Financial Counseling Phone Number: 602-933-2000
Hours: Mon. – Fri.: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Arizona Time (MST, no daylight savings)

Contact our Financial Clearance Center at 602-933-6696 and follow the automatic prompts.

If your bill was sent to collections and you have questions, please call our office. We can help explain and work with you.  

Toll-Free Phone Number: 800-549-3743
Hours:  Mon. – Fri.: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Arizona Time (MST, no daylight savings)