IU Health Research Billing

Effective 12/1/2020 all new studies that open to accrual in OnCore and contain any billing through IU Health Revenue Cycle Services (RCS) are required to use the OnCore Research Billing Notification Process for research billing notification. Process requirements are detailed in the IU Office of Clinical Research Coverage Analysis & Clinical Research Billing Policy. 

The OCR and IU Health Revenue Cycle Services has teamed up to create a standardized method for reporting and tracking research billing errors. Please use the RedCAP survey link below to report any of the following:

    • Incorrect Billing to Patient
    • Incorrect Billing to Study Account
    • Notice of Late Consent Entry in OnCore (more than 48 hours after date of service)
    • Notice of Late Visit Tracking in OnCore (more than 48 hours after date of service)

The submission is received and reviewed by the OCR and IU Health Revenue Cycle Services and a resolution report is provided that explains corrections made, when applicable.

Prior to study enrollment, the RCS Charge Request form must be submitted if:

  1. Your study involves an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) or
  2. If your protocol is evaluating any commercially available device or supplies

This form is reviewed by the Charge Management team to determine whether a special charge code will be created for use in the charging and billing systems to ensure proper billing and/or pricing for the research related products. We will respond to you by email after our review is complete. For questions related to this form, please contact chargehelp@iuhealth.org and clinicaltrials@iuhealth.org.

Separate IU purchase orders are required when a study utilizes services charged by different IU Health departments. Please use the attached document to ensure you are selecting the appropriate fulfillment and remittance addresses in BUY.IU.

Prior to study enrollment, this form must be completed for any research study for which procedures will take place within one of the IU Health Ambulatory Surgery Centers. The researcher or a member of the study team, should complete the first section of the form and submit to OCRfin@iu.edu.

To request a quote for research procedures completed in an IU Health Facility, send the following information (as available) by email to clinicaltrials@iuhealth.org.

    • CPT Code
    • Service Location
    • Diagnosis Code/Diagnosis Description

For research labs to be direct billed to your study account, complete the Research Lab Requisition form, and send to labbilling@iuhealth.org.

This document, which can be reviewed with patients and presented to registration staff, provides information about research patient registration.

Which studies will follow this process?

This process is applicable to any study where charges for items, services, and procedures will flow through IU Health RCS.  

What are the additional OnCore Requirements for studies under this process?

In addition to the OnCore Protocol Minimum Standardized Requirements and Subject Minimum Standardized Requirements, studies using this process must have the following:

    • Applicable IU Health PO numbers documented in OnCore
    • Protocol calendar and coverage analysis built in OnCore prior to enrollment
    • Subjects must be consented in OnCore within 48 hours.
    • Subject visits and procedures tracked and reviewed for accuracy within 48 hours
How will the bill hold be placed on a patient's account?

When a study is flagged for inclusion, the OCR will confirm that the study calendar and coverage analysis are complete and that all information required by RCS has been added to OnCore. The OCR will then append a new “RCS — IU Health Revenue Cycle Services” management group to the study. This management group will pull the necessary study and patient level information into a report that is transmitted to RCS daily and prompts RCS to place and manage the bill hold for research subjects based upon their OnCore status. 

What happens to the charges that are held?

As charges are held, they route to individuals who review the coverage analysis and subject visit calendar within OnCore as well as the patient’s medical record to direct the charges to the appropriate payer.