Anesthesia Coding Alert

Question: How should I file a claim on a pain clinic patient who has new coverage but has not received an insurance identification card yet?Minnesota SubscriberAnswer: Ideally, when patients call to make appointments, you should have someone in your office confirm their insurance coverage and eligibility, especially if you know the patient is going to have new insurance.Learning about insurance changes before the appointment gives you time to check if you are a participating provider with the payer and verify coverage. If the patient doesn't yet have an identification number with her new insurance company, ask for the name of the insurer and the policy number from the patient, or from the patient's employer. Then, call the insurer and verify the coverage and the date of eligibility, and get the appropriate information to identify the patient on your claim.Caution: The date of eligibility is an important question to ask the [...]