OK. We all know that Obamacare is now in full force this year and their are changes in our health insurances taking place.
What does that mean for coverage in our clinic for Chiropractic services? Well, the short answer is not a whole lot has changed.
What still is interesting to me is that the general public doesn’t understand that health care PROVIDERS are not covered by insurances. Insurances cover SERVICES, no matter who they are provided by.
Because of this common misconception, many times people ask the wrong questions when attempting to verify coverage for our services within our clinic.
They will typically assume (incorrectly) that verifying coverage for “chiropractic” or a “chiropractor” will tell them anything at all.
In ten years of practice, I’ve never experienced a patient who asked the RIGHT questions when verifying insurance benefits. They really don’t know what questions to ask, and never get the proper information.
When they ask if a PROVIDER type ie; chiropractor, physical therapist, etc. All the person on the other end is going to tell them is either yes or no, and MAYBE the amount of sessions per year they will contribute to..
The RIGHT questions are regarding PROVIDER types, but are regarding specific services, such as x-rays, exams, specific excercise codes, specific limits on care in dollars and/or sessions per annum, durable medical equipment, diagnostic testing, etc..
When our staff verifies an insurance plan, we utilize a 25 question survey that thoroughly details and outlines the typical benefits for each service that MIGHT be billed during a typical patient’s care plan.
We do this as a complimentary service for all of our new patients or patients that change insurance plans.
We also do it to PREVENT surprises (like things not covered), etc..
That is why it’s not a good idea for a patient to attempt to verify insurance benefits with their insurer.
We have trained, experienced professionals to assist with taking care of that in our clinic, so that you can just focus on getting healthier.
Also, Once we verify a patient’s coverage, we show everything to a patient UP-FRONT, so there are no surprises on THEIR end, either.
We want our patients to TRUST us and I dont believe in running up a big bill for a patient, without letting them know what their insurance plan will and will not contribute.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Steve Lininger