Sawtooth Mountain Clinic’s mission is to provide access to high quality, comprehensive, primary healthcare in Cook County to all users, regardless of financial ability to pay for services.
Amy Schmidt, an RN at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic explained, “In other words, we want everyone who needs medical care to get it, even if they can’t pay for it. To that end, we have an incomebased program coined the Sliding Fee Scale available to Sawtooth Mountain Clinic patients.”
The program is funded by grants through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Sliding Fee Scale program covers an incremental percentage of certain medical services for patients whose income qualifies.
Schmidt said, “While the program has always covered a large number of services such as counseling and dental care, recent changes to the program have widened the net of covered services to include such things as hearing aid assistance, acupuncture, massage and art therapy.”
She added, “Now, there is some fine print. In order to be ‘on slide’ you must be an established patient of the clinic, meaning you’ve had at least one doctor’s visit here in the last three years. Once enrolled, all participants must reapply by May 1st of the following year, providing proof of income at that time.
“It’s also important to note that not all services are covered by the Sliding Fee Scale and/or there may be a cap on the number of visits you’re able to use the coverage for. And lastly, you must have an appointment with a Sawtooth Mountain Clinic provider in order to seek covered treatments,” said Schmidt.
As daunting as the details might seem, Schmidt said the program is user-friendly. She gave the following example: Let’s say you’re a family of four (meaning there are four people, including you, living in your home) and your gross family income is $39,000/year, qualifying you for Sliding Scale Coverage Level C, 15 percent.
You’re seen at Sawtooth Mountain Clinic for low back pain and, after filling out an application, are enrolled in the program. During the visit, your provider determines massage therapy to be a necessary treatment for your condition and writes a referral to a Slide-Eligible therapist. You make a follow up appointment with your provider, schedule a massage treatment with the eligible therapist of your choice and because you’re enrolled in the Sliding Scale program, pay only 15 percent of the actual treatment’s cost.
“The Sliding Fee Scale program is in place to ease some of the financial burden our patients might experience and help them access the care and support they need,” said Schmidt.
She encouraged patients to apply for the program today. Applications can be found on the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic website at www.sawtoothmountainclinic.org under the Patient Services tab, at the front desk of the clinic or in the patient rooms.
Questions regarding the program can be directed to Steve or Erin at 218-387- 2330.
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