Here are some tips to get ahead of the New Year insurance frustrations.
Be Prepared - ask for new insurance information while confirming appointments. If possible, have them send a picture of the front and back of the card.
Ask Questions - Did the patient change employers? Is the subscriber the same? It has been 6 months or longer since the patient's last visit. Many things could have changed in that time period.
Update Forms - If it is part of your policy to have patient's update their health history, include a form to update their insurance information. Make sure you ask for all pertinent information (subscriber name, dob, employer, ss or id, mailing address, etc.)
Get a Card - if the patient has a card, ask them to bring it and scan it (front and back) into your software. Having this information will be so helpful if you have issues with claims.
Utilize Web Portals- set up insurance web portals for quick verification. This is so much faster than the phone. Most of the time you can get instant access to patient insurance information on portals.
Hold the claim - wait until you have verified insurance before you send out the claims. Don't rely upon your electronic claims filing system to flag verification issues. If the system fails, you will have to wait until you get the denial to fix the problem. This creates a delay in payment and more frustration for your office and your team.
Happy New Year!
Comments