Wiki PLEASE HELP-discrepancy between name on id and name on insurance card

[khristinelouise]

If a new patient comes in and their ID says their name is John Bob Doe and their insurance card says their name is Bob Doe, how do you handle this? I have always billed under the name that is on their ID as this is their legal name but I keep seeing posts that say offices change their demographics to match what is on the insurance card so that they will be paid. This seems wrong but I am surprised how many patients come into my office expecting me to do this. I tell patients that if their info is wrong with an insurance company they need to call them and correct it. Am I wrong? Really need some advice, I have looked everywhere I can think of and can't find anything specifically dealing with this issue. Thanks in advance for any input you can give!

 

[jserrano]

Insurance

The insurance card should match their legal name if it does not for any reason the patient has to contact their carriers to tell them to correct it. It’s not right to change the demographics to match what you can do is put it under alias.