Insurance Denial Received Now What?
When you receive a denial panic is the first inclination.
You start pulling out your hair or pacing the last resort is yelling.
Now it is time to take slow deep breaths to calm yourself and lower your blood pressure.
You take a deep breath and call the phone number on the insurance denial paper.
Your called is answered by a customer service representative who reads in the computer for your date of service, the name of the medical provider, and the place of service treatment was provided.
The customer service can only parrot the answer that is on the computer screen a duplicate of what you now hold in your hand.
Call is ended your blood pressure is rising once again.
You start reading the denial and on the back it tells you to appeal. It gives an address and usually an address to mail it.
What is needed for an appeal? In my book Fight Your Medical Insurance Nightmares it gives you sample appeal letters plus gives you a line by line explanation on what you need to write for your appeal.
1. Why was it denied?
This answer must be addressed especially if you feel it was wrong. Remember you are only appealing the date of service in question, the place of service, and the medical provider.
2. Get your medical records. You can get them from your medical provider or hospital. If an ambulance or laboratory test or x-ray were involved get it from that medical provider.
3. Write a letter. The appeal letter must be precise. If written it must be legible. If typed make it as professional as possible.
4. Mail the letter (Please sign it) to the address for the appeal process only. Try to get a specific name and get it in by the time allotted.
5. Send it certified, registered in other words make sure it was signed for. This is your insurance that it was received and on time.
Medical insurance companies make it a practice to deny your claims. That is there job. They do not want to pay your bills if they can avoid it.
Thank you for reading my article. Please feel free to read any of the various articles on numerous subjects.
Linda E. Meckler Copyright 2010
