CLEVELAND — If you are someone who receives their healthcare through the Cleveland Clinic, you likely received an email on Tuesday alerting you of some changes. Beginning June 1, 2025, the clinic is going to start requiring patients for nonemergency services to pay their copays up front, or your visit will be rescheduled or canceled.
Copays are the amount of money requested up front for the patient's share of a covered service. While it varies by your insurance, it might be, say, $20 to visit your doctor or $50 for a medical imaging test.
"I was a little irritated," said Joel Steven, a Cleveland Clinic patient who received the email notifying him of the change. He reached out to News 5 to share his concerns.
"Just ... if you don't have your copay with you at the time of your appointment, they will reschedule you. I don't think ... the Cleveland Clinic takes into account all of the difficulties it is in actually getting an appointment in the first place," he said.
News 5 reached out to the clinic to see if there was someone who could explain the need for the change, but were told no one would be available for an interview and sent a statement:
"Starting June 1, 2025, copays will be collected before or at check-in for appointments for nonemergency outpatient services, including scheduled office visits, diagnostic tests and procedures. The visit will be rescheduled or canceled if a patient cannot make their copay.
This change does not apply to patients with Medicaid.
Copays for emergencies, surgeries, cancer treatments and inpatient hospital stays will be billed after services are delivered. This also includes urgent/express care visits at this time.
We remain committed to providing the highest quality care for patients and understand that navigating healthcare coverage can be challenging. Collecting all patient financial responsibility for the care we provide, starting with copays, helps us ensure sustainable hospital operations and supports the seamless delivery of care."
The Ohio Hospital Association tells News 5 that the policy is "not out of the ordinary for providers," but it doesn't collect data on its members' hospital billing policies.
A lot of systems, like University Hospitals, have on their website in bold that the copay is something paid "before" receiving a covered service. UH tells News 5 that while they strongly encourage patients to do so, they say they "do not cancel or reschedule appointments if the copay is not paid ahead of time."
It's the flexibility that Joel wishes the clinic would adopt, saying that when he goes to the doctor, he usually brings only what he needs.
"You want to go in, you want to see the doctor, and then you want to leave, so you don't come equipped a lot of times to make transactions," he said. "I think that flexibility is warranted if it's an existing patient or if it's a new patient but they have no problems with paying the Cleveland Clinic their deductibles I think there should be some leeway."
