Insurance verification is a crucial step in the health care process. Medical care can be expensive, with a single visit to the doctor or a short hospital stay costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Luckily, health insurance can help lower your medical bills. But first, you must go through insurance verification to make sure you’re eligible. But what is insurance verification, why is it necessary, and how does it work? Here’s everything you need to know.
Key Takeaways
- Insurance verification is the process of confirming a patient’s insurance eligibility for services by collecting and verifying information about the patient’s personal information, insurance plan status, coverage details, the purpose of verification, and limitations.
- It serves four primary purposes: Ensuring reimbursement for health care providers, educating patients about their insurance benefits, identifying potential fraud, and ensuring compliance.
- There are several methods of insurance eligibility verification, such as phone verification, insurance company portal, clearinghouse system, and outsourcing.
- Accurate insurance verification is important to avoid payment denials and delays, improve patient experience, help manage the revenue cycle, and minimize miscommunication issues.
- Best practices include standardization of processes, use of technology solutions (EHRs, billing software & online portals), ongoing staff training and education at health care providers, and outsourcing of functions.
Insurance Verification Definition
Insurance verification is the process of confirming a patient’s insurance eligibility for services. It involves obtaining and verifying information about:
- Patient’s personal information
- Type of patient’s health insurance plan
- Status of the patient’s policy (whether it’s active or expired)
- Insurance coverage details, deductibles, co-pays, and other relevant information
- Coverage limitations or documentation requirements
Purpose of Insurance Verification
Patient insurance verification serves four primary purposes. These include:
1. Ensuring Reimbursement for Health Care Providers
The verification process aims to ensure that health care providers receive their payments.
If health care providers do not verify correctly, they may offer services not covered by a patient’s insurance. This can lead to a payment refusal or a delay in reimbursement, costing the provider a lot of money.
2. Educating Patients About Insurance Benefits
This process also helps patients understand their benefits and potential out-of-pocket expenses. You need to understand your coverage to avoid ending up with unexpected bills.
Worst case? You decided not to get treatment at all due to concerns about cost. That’s why it’s so important to ensure you’re aware of your benefits before receiving any medical care.
3. Identifying Potential Fraud
Insurance fraud is a major concern in health care. Any inconsistencies in the information provided by the patient and provider can raise red flags. These errors may state potential illegal activity.
Health care organizations can help identify and prevent fraud through careful verification and monitoring. It also means protection for patients, providers, and insurers alike.
4. Ensuring Compliance
Proper insurance verification is also crucial for legal and regulatory requirements. This requirement may include laws like Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It’s an act that requires health care providers to maintain patient privacy and confidentiality.
Proper insurance verification helps health care providers have accurate and current patient information. It also helps avoid errors that could compromise privacy and lead to legal issues.
How Does Insurance Verification Work?
Let’s now go over the typical steps taken to verify insurance eligibility:
Step 1: Patient Intake or Registration
You must complete a patient intake or registration form when you go to a health care facility. This form collects essential information about you, including your insurance details. You can also do this over the phone while scheduling your appointment.
Here’s what they are going to ask from you:
- Insurance ID
- Policy number
- Group number (if applicable)
- Policyholder’s full name and their relationship to you
- Date of birth
Step 2: Insurance Eligibility Verification Request
After the facility collects your personal and medical information, they will start the next step of the process. The staff will usually spend around 20 minutes on the phone with the insurance representative to verify your eligibility. But, due to the high volume of calls, it may take longer.
Starting this process as early as possible has become a common practice. It’s usual for health care providers to begin this step after appointment scheduling. In contrast, some organizations do this at least 72 hours before your visit.
Step 3: Gathering of Crucial Information
While on the phone with the payer, your health care provider might need to confirm details about your insurance coverage. This is to make sure they’re providing you with the right services.
Here are some common questions they may ask your insurance provider:
- Can you confirm the policy number and group number for the patient’s insurance policy?
- Who is the policyholder, and how are they related to the patient?
- Is the patient’s insurance policy active, and when does it end?
- How many therapy visits does the patient have left for this year?
- What is the patient’s copay and/or coinsurance for therapy services?
- What is the patient’s deductible for their insurance policy?
- Does the insurance policy need physician referrals or pre-authorizations for reimbursement?
- Are there any coverage limitations or documentation requirements that we need to know?
- Is the therapist the patient wants to see in-network for their insurance policy?
By the end of this process, you can be sure that you will not face any unexpected costs or surprises in the future.
Methods of Insurance Verification
There are several methods of insurance verification available to providers. These include the following:
Phone Verification
Verifying an insurance policy over the phone is a common practice. But, this method can take time and effort.
Health care providers might have to wait on hold for a while or navigate through an automated IVR before speaking to someone. Plus, these systems often only give basic information and can be frustrating to deal with.
Insurance Company Portal
Another efficient method for insurance verification is through the insurance company’s web portal. They usually offer online tools for health care providers to check a patient’s eligibility.
Health care providers must enroll with a plan and register to access the website. This process can take time to get up and run.
Each web portal needs a different set of information. Hence, health care staff will need to learn and use many platforms to make this method work. Despite this, it’s still faster than verifying over the phone.
Clearinghouse System
Clearinghouse systems are like a one-stop shop for care providers to check if your insurance covers your medical needs. It saves employees time as they don’t have to navigate different systems.
But, if an insurance company is not included in the system, employees may need to manually search for the information. Otherwise, they can use the provider’s web portal.
Outsourcing
Many practices consider outsourcing an ideal solution. It means assigning all work related to insurance verification to an external agency.
These agencies have the expertise that helps them complete the task faster, saving health care employees considerable time.
Remember that the information gathered using these methods can not guarantee benefits. Health care providers must still submit the claim and wait for it to process before providing services.
Importance of Accurate Insurance Verification
Accurate insurance verification is important for many reasons. Let’s go over them one by one.
Avoids Claim Denials and Payment Delays
Accurate verification helps care providers avoid claim denials or delays from insurance companies.
Insurance companies can deny claims for several reasons, including:
- Incorrect patient information or claim form errors
- Expired coverage or late submission of claims
- Services not covered by the patient’s insurance plan or unnecessary medical procedure
- Failure to present pre-certification or authorization
- Use of out-of-network provider
These denials can lead to financial losses for health care providers. It can also impact their ability to provide quality care.
Improves Patient Experience
Sometimes patients don’t know if their insurance will cover their medical costs. This can make them feel stressed and confused, which isn’t a good experience for anyone.
When health care providers do an accurate check, patients feel more confident about getting the care they need.
Helps Health Care Providers Manage Revenue Cycle
Accurate verification of insurance coverage is a crucial step in the revenue cycle.
If patients receive a bill for services they thought their insurance would cover but does not, they might feel confused and upset. It can cause the patient not to pay the bill or seek care elsewhere, damaging the provider’s reputation and income.
Likewise, if the provider bills the payer incorrectly, they may not receive payment for the services they provided. This can put a financial strain on the health care provider and could even lead to legal trouble if the incorrect billing is deemed as fraud.
5 Common Challenges in Insurance Verification
Now let’s discuss the challenges health care providers encounter during insurance eligibility verification.
1. Time-Consuming Process
The process of verifying information can be time-consuming, especially for larger health care organizations. This can cause delays in patient care and can be frustrating for both patients and providers.
Imagine having a medical emergency and having to wait for a long time before you can receive the care you need. That can happen when the insurance verification process takes too much time.
2. Inaccurate or Incomplete Information
Insurance companies often change their policies and coverage details over time. This can make it difficult for care providers to keep up with the latest information.
Patients may not always present accurate or complete information about their insurance policy. It can make the process even more challenging.
3. Miscommunication
Another common challenge that health care providers face during the verification is communication issues. It happens when they use different software systems or procedures. It can cause delays and misunderstandings that can be frustrating for everyone involved.
4. Denials and Appeals
Even when care providers do everything right, insurance companies may still deny coverage. It can be frustrating because you have to pay for the services or treatments out of your own pocket.
Claim denial grounds can vary. If a health care provider believes that the denial was incorrect, they can file an appeal.
An appeal is a request to review the decision and reverse it. To file, the care provider may need to show more documentation to support the treatment. It means more paperwork for the health care provider and the patient.
5. Data Privacy Issues
Care providers have to keep the information confidential when they send it to payers. It can be challenging because there are laws like HIPAA to follow, and they need to protect against cyber attacks.
To keep sensitive information safe, health care providers have to set up strong measures. If they don’t, they could face penalties, legal trouble, and damage to their reputation.
Best Practices for Insurance Verification
Implementing best practices can make the insurance verification process faster and more accurate. Below are the best practices for verifying insurance eligibility:
Standardization of Verification Processes
Standardization is the process of implementing uniform guidelines for a particular procedure. When it comes to insurance verification, standardization can make things more efficient.
Patients, care providers, and payers can save time and resources if everyone follows the same guidelines. It also helps everyone work together without any confusion or unnecessary delays.
Use of Technology Solutions
In today’s era, technology has become a crucial component of numerous industries. To confirm insurance coverage, there are several solutions available that we can leverage.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
EHRs are digital records of patients’ medical history, diagnoses, and treatments. They can also store insurance information. It makes it easy to verify coverage and reduces the need for manual data entry.
Billing Software
Billing software can automate the submission and tracking of claims. It helps reduce the risk of errors and speed up the verification process.
Online Portals
Online portals allow patients to access their insurance information from anywhere. It makes it easy for them to check their coverage and reduces the burden on insurance staff.
Ongoing Staff Training and Education at Health Care Providers
It involves providing training and education to staff members, including new hires. It is to ensure that staff knows the latest insurance policies and processes. This training can also tackle effective ways to communicate with insurance companies.
Outsourcing Verification Functions
Health care providers can save money by hiring third-party vendors to handle insurance verification. These vendors are experts and are capable of handling large amounts of verifications.
When organizations outsource, they can free up their staff to focus on other tasks. It’s important to choose a reliable vendor to keep the verification fault-free and patient data confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should you verify insurance information?
It’s important to double-check your insurance information each time. Insurance coverage can change frequently, so it’s a good idea to verify it every visit.
Is it necessary to verify the benefits?
Yes, you must check your benefits to ensure you’re covered for the medical services you need. It’s important to do this so you don’t end up with any surprise bills.
What is the date on which health insurance coverage comes into effect?
The date on which health insurance coverage comes into effect can vary depending on the plan, with some insisting on a lead time before full coverage.
How does insurance eligibility verification benefit providers?
Insurance verification benefits providers by allowing them to estimate patient payments, gather necessary authorizations, bill the correct insurance, and promote higher claim rates.
How does insurance eligibility verification benefit patients?
Insurance eligibility verification benefits patients by helping them plan for their financial responsibility, giving them a chance to find lower-cost providers or policies, and allowing them to prepare for services.
Final Thoughts
What is insurance verification? In conclusion, understanding the basics of insurance verification is essential for anyone who wants to navigate the complex world of health care. By verifying insurance coverage and benefits, health care providers can ensure that patients receive the necessary care while avoiding unexpected bills or coverage denials.
So there you have it! Insurance verification may seem like a long task, but it’s an essential step in health care.
Taking the time and effort to make sure everyone involved in medical care is protected is worth it for efficiency in health care. This way, you can avoid any surprises or issues that might come up later on.
Sources:
- Cutler, David. “The World’s Costliest Health Care.” Harvard Magazine, 10 Apr. 2020, www.harvardmagazine.com/2020/05/feature-forum-costliest-health-care.
- What Is Insurance Verification in Medical Billing? -. www.caplinehealthcaremanagement.com/what-is-insurance-verification-in-medical-billing/.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 June 2022, www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/hipaa.html.
- “How Do You Verify Patients’ Healthcare Insurance? – Businessnewsdaily.com.” Business News Daily, www.businessnewsdaily.com/16499-insurance-verification.html.
- “8 Challenges to Customer-Driven Health Care | Executive and Continuing Professional Education | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.” Www.hsph.harvard.edu, www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/8-challenges-to-customer-driven-health-care/.
- American Institute of Healthcare Compliance. “Best Practices in Patient Eligibility and Benefits Verification.” AIHC-Assn.org, n.d., https://aihc-assn.org/best-practices-in-patient-eligibility-and-benefits-verification/.