On Monday, Sheri Samotin of LifeBridge Solutions joined us for our weekly chat. Our show was a follow-up to our must-listen January show on managing insurance and Medicare claims that are denied. (You can listen to Monday’s show via the player at the bottom of this post.)
Sheri shared tips on to stay organized with insurance bills and claims:
1. Use a three-ring binder; organize by provider and then by reverse chronological order.
2. Create a status sheet, which details any action you’ve taken (like phone calls) with a provider or insurance carrier.
3. Detail specifics of your phone conversations with providers and carriers as soon as your conversation ends.
4. Keep a primer which explains insurance benefits in the binder.
And, Sheri offered this tips to make sure you don’t get stuck with bills you shouldn’t have to pay:
1. If a provider or physician tells you that will pre-certify your caree (or you) for surgery or procedure with the insurance company, be sure to follow up yourself with the insurance carrier to confirm. Ask for the pre-certification number.
2. After every visit with a provider, ask for an itemized statement which you review as soon as possible. You’ll catch errors while they can still be easily fixed.
Do you have an insurance dilemma you’d like us to discuss on our next show? Send Denise an email.
