Direct Pay
Patient pays New Century Labs directly for lab testing.
PatientNew Century Labs
Can Illinois Clinics Offer Cash-Pay Labs?
Direct Pay, Service Fee, or Self-Managed: what fits Illinois practices, and where to start.
New Century Labs supports all three billing workflows: Direct PayService FeeSelf-Managed Pricing
Educational overview, not legal advice · Last reviewed July 2026 · Choose a starting point here, then confirm it with counsel.
Plain-English answer
Can Illinois clinics offer cash-pay labs? Yes. Illinois has no statute restricting how clinics bill for outside lab work, so all three workflows are open to you. Most clinics start with Direct Pay, where the patient pays the lab directly, because it’s the simplest.
Three billing workflows
Direct Pay, Service Fee, and Self-Managed Pricing
Service Fee
Clinic may charge a transparent fee for professional/admin services.
PatientNew Century Labs + Clinic fee
Self-Managed Pricing
Clinic controls patient pricing where state law and payer context allow.
PatientClinicNew Century Labs
Illinois bars marking up anatomic pathology work without disclosure: the ordering clinician must name the performing lab and what it was paid, and any acquisition or processing charge is limited to actual cost, separately coded. Most Illinois clinics start with Direct Pay and keep any clinic fee clearly its own.
Recommended starting point for Illinois clinics
Start with Direct Pay. Add a Service Fee for real professional work, and take Self-Managed pricing to counsel first.
Illinois-specific billing considerations
Illinois has no statute restricting how clinics bill for outside lab work. That is not a green light: federal fee-splitting, payer, and Medicare rules still apply. Have counsel confirm your setup before adding a Service Fee or Self-Managed pricing. For reference, see Illinois’s statute, 410 ILCS 50/3.3.
How each workflow fits in Illinois
| Workflow | Fit for Illinois clinics |
|---|---|
| Direct Pay | The simplest, most transparent starting point. |
| Service Fee | Works when tied to real professional or administrative services. |
| Self-Managed | Available. Have counsel review your pricing and payer mix first. |
Medicare-sensitive workflows
In Illinois, Medicare patients usually mean Direct Pay with any clinic fee separate and documented. New Century Labs’ cash-pay workflow is intended for non-covered or patient-requested testing where Medicare is not billed; covered, medically necessary services require a different billing analysis — see our Medicare guide.
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Common lab test mix
Based on frequently ordered tests across New Century Labs practices.
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Common lab test mix
How you bill patients
Patient pays New Century Labs directly
Add a transparent service fee
$
You control patient pricing
%
Estimated patient savings
For your practice
$0
saved per patient
Your patient pays $0 instead of $0 when insurance falls short.
For your practice
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How you can bill for lab work is regulated and varies by state. You're responsible for choosing a model that complies with your state's rules. This is an illustration, not legal advice; we'll help you find the right fit on the call.
Common questions
Can Illinois clinics offer cash-pay lab testing?
Yes. The real question is which billing workflow, not whether. Most clinics start with Direct Pay: the patient pays the lab directly.
Can a Illinois clinic charge patients more than the lab’s price?
Yes, Illinois has no statute restricting it. Federal fee-splitting, payer, and Medicare rules still apply, so have counsel review your pricing once.
What’s the simplest way for a Illinois clinic to start?
Direct Pay. The patient pays New Century Labs directly and there is nothing to set up. Add a separate service fee for your own work where appropriate.
Sources & review notes
Written by New Century Labs and reviewed for operational accuracy by the New Century Labs team — not reviewed as legal advice. Last reviewed July 2026; laws and payer rules may change. Confirm the right workflow for your practice with your healthcare counsel.
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Where to go next
Next step
Talk through the right cash-pay lab workflow for your practice.
Pick the workflow that fits your state and your practice. We’ll help you compare Direct Pay, Service Fee, and Self-Managed Pricing, then confirm it with counsel.