Dealing with insurance is not fun, especially when you’re in pain, and don’t know what the future holds.
My experience has shown, that the first place to start when you have a problem is with your insurance company’s customer service. What I have found, is that when I call customer service, I can get very different answers for the same question depending on who I talk to. So depending on the complexity of your issue, I would encourage you to make more than one call to see if you do get a consensus. We hope that we will, but if information wasn’t understood, or given incorrectly, you are on your own to straighten it out.
When I had my Rituximab treatment, what I actually got from my insurance was in writing before the treatment. Customer service sent me a document that indicates what charges I could expect.
Labs are another thing to keep an eye on. When seeing several doctors, many of them want their own labs. It’s very easy to get duplicate lab work. Make sure to check your lab records, and what labs your doctor is ordering. For example one complete blood count (CBC) will do. In many cases your doctor will accommodate not duplicating labs, but it is up to you to let them know if you’ve already had recent lab work by another doctor.
Generally it’s pretty easy to get that lab work to the other doctor. I actually had a doctor who ordered a CBC when I had just had one recently from another doctor in the same clinic. When I brought it to her attention shortly thereafter, she was very accommodating letting billing know so I wouldn’t get charged. She wouldn’t have done this if I hadn’t brought it to her attention.
There are many other areas where being alert and not afraid to ask questions can pay off.
Remember, when you need us we are in your corner!