Patient Financial Services
Part of being a well-informed patient is learning about the care you will receive and knowing your financial responsibility. Learn more about billing, insurance and estimating the cost of care at RIMI.
- Bring a referral form from your doctor to your appointment.
- Bring your health insurance card and ID to your appointment.
- Patients are responsible to pay deductibles, co-insurance and co-pays before of at the time of their scheduled appointment. If payment in full cannot be made, a copy of your credit card will be required to keep on file.
- Understand your financial responsibility. Questions? Call our Patient Financial Services Department at 401-427-7820.
- Co-Insurance: The amount of money you must pay after your insurance company pays their portion of the medical bill. Co-insurance is based on a percentage of the cost of the exam.
- Example: If your visit costs $100 and your health insurance has a 10% co-insurance, you would pay $10 and your insurance would pay the remaining $90.
- Co-Payment: A fixed amount of money that you must pay for certain medical services. Co-payments are collected at the time of service.
- Example: If your visit costs $100 and your health insurance has a $20 co-pay, you would pay $20 and your health insurance would pay the remaining $80.
- Deductible: The amount of money you pay out-of-pocket each year before your insurance will begin covering expenses. Deductibles usually start over at the beginning of each calendar year. The deductible may not apply to all services.
- Example: If you have a $500 deductible, you pay the first $500 of covered services yourself. After you pay your $500, you usually pay only a co-payment or co-insurance for covered services.
- In Network Providers: Medical providers that have a contract with your insurance company to accept certain negotiated rates. When a physician or facility accepts your insurance, you are considered “in network.”
- Out-of-Pocket Expense: The expenses for medical care that are not reimbursed by insurance companies. These include co-insurance, co-payment, deductibles and all other costs for services that are not covered.
- PCP Referral: “Pre-approval” referral from Primary Care Physician required by certain insurance companies before seeing a specialist or another physician within the same network.
- Prior Authorization: Approval from your insurance company(s) is required before your exam can take place. If authorization is required, but not obtained, your insurance plan may determine it will not cover the cost. It is usually the referring physician or facility’s responsibility to obtain an authorization for a patient’s procedure.
- Self-Pay: Patients who are not covered under a Health Insurance Plan are considered “Self-Pay” and accept full financial responsibility for the cost of their exam.
- Click here for the RIMI Patient Financial Policy 2021.
- All out-of-pocket costs, i.e: co-pays, co-insurance, deductibles etc., required by your insurance plan are due at the time of service.
- Rhode Island Medical Imaging accepts most insurance plans.
- RIMI is not contracted with the following insurance companies:
- Blue Chip Direct Advance
- You may be responsible for out of pocket expenses.
- If you have any questions, please contact our Patient Financial Services Department at 401-427-7820.
RIMI will either obtain prior authorization or assist your referring physician’s office in obtaining prior authorization for select radiology exams. Without your insurance company’s prior authorization, your appointment time may need to be rescheduled or you will be asked to sign a financial waiver.
- What exams require prior authorization?
- MRI/MRA and CT/CTA require prior authorization.
- Is my Screening Mammogram or Bone Density exam covered by my health insurance?
- Individual plans vary. Please contact your insurance company to confirm this information.
- Is the amount that I am quoted by RIMI the total for my exam?
- Your out-of-pocket expenses are provided to RIMI by your insurance company. The amount quoted to you is only an estimate. If you are responsible for any additional out-of-pocket expenses, you will be billed.
- Can I be self-pay instead of the claim being submitted to my insurance company?
- No, we have a contractual obligation to bill your insurance if your insurance is active.
- Is Rhode Island Medical Imaging In or Out-of-Network with my insurance company?
- RIMI can call to see if we are In or Out-of-Network with your insurance company, but we always advise patients to contact their insurance company to confirm this information.
- What happens if Rhode Island Medical Imaging is Out-of-Network with my insurance company?
- If you your insurance is Out-of-Network, out-of-pocket expenses will be higher.
- I have an upcoming appointment with RIMI and want to discuss my financial responsibility.
- You can contact our Patient Financial Services department at 401-427-7820 and any of our representatives can assist you.
- How do I make a payment online?
- On our website click on the “Pay Online” link at the top of website navigation. We do accept all major credit cards and debit cards. We do not accept checks as payment online or over the phone.
- Can I set up a payment plan with RIMI?
- Once you receive a statement from RIMI, you can call our billing department at 401-432-2500 and a billing representative can set up a monthly payment arrangement.
- Why am I in collections when I never received a bill?
- RIMI will send out two statements addressed to the patient receiving services. The patient address is collected at the time of registration. If there is no response to the statements, the account will automatically be sent to our collection agency. If you (the patient) did not receive a statement from RIMI for your services, please contact our Billing Department at 401-432-2500.
- Why am I receiving a bill from RIMI and the hospital?
- If the services were rendered at a hospital, you will receive one bill from RIMI for the physician service and a separate bill from the hospital for the use of the facility, supplies and technical support.
- I have free care from the hospital, does RIMI honor hospital free care?
- Yes, we do honor free care for services performed in a hospital setting during the same dates of service for which the free care was approved. RIMI requires a copy of the acceptance letter and the dates of approval. This letter can be mailed to our office at 125 Metro Center Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886 or faxed to 401-921-9212. Free care is not accepted for any services rendered at any of our sites.
- Do I need an order/script to come in for an exam?
- Yes, to have your imaging service performed you need an order from a provider. There is an exception for routine screening mammograms so long as your provider does not require you to have an order/script. If you have questions about if your provider requires an order/script for your routine mammogram, call our scheduling department at 401-432-2400.
- I have an order/script for a routine screening mammogram but am experiencing symptoms with my breast. What should I do?
- RIMI performs both routine screening mammograms and diagnostic breast imaging. If you have an order for a routine mammogram but you are experiences symptoms/complications with your breast, please contact your ordering provider to let them know. We also have a Mammography Coordinator Department you can contact with questions. Their number is 401-432-2548.
- What is your no show/cancellation policy?
- In order to ensure appointment times for each of our patients, there may be a $50.00 charge applied to your account for any missed or cancelled appointments without a 24-hour prior notification. This charge will not be covered by your insurance.
- Does my DEXA Bone Density prep include dairy products?
- This does not include dairy products. You can have dairy products 24 hours prior to your DEXA exam.
- Can I bring my small child with me to my exam?
- We do not provide child care services in the waiting area and small children are not to be left unattended. We advise that you bring someone with you to care for your child.
- RIMI does not perform the following exams in our office locations:
- Urine Analysis test
- Barium Swallow test
- Nuclear Medicine test
- Echocardiogram
Don’t fall prey to scammers: Rhode Island Medical Imaging (RIMI) will never ask you for your bank account routing number. When in doubt, hang up, and call RIMI’s Billing Department at 401-432-2500.
Rhode Island Medical Imaging will ensure compliance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act: No Surprises Act effective 1/1/22. Rhode Island Medical Imaging will bill patients at the appropriate in-network cost share when their plan processes out-of-network benefits.
