Practice Management Alert

Many insurance companies repeatedly insist they never received your claim, even if you sent it via certified mail. Beat them at their own game with these three steps: 1. Send a printed copy of your electronic proof of timely filing. Most billing software programs can print out an electronic confirmation from the carrier saying it received the claim, including the date of receipt. Important: This is an excellent form of proof that the carrier did receive your claim, and most reasonable carriers will pay based on that. 2. Send a letter along with the electronic proof of filing, a copy of the claim, and a copy of the denial if you received one for exceeding the timely filing deadline. If the carrier refuses to pay based on just your electronic proof, this is the next reasonable step. 3. Compose and send a letter stating the carrier is violating the Prompt Payment Act and threaten legal action if you don't receive payment. This is a good idea for carriers that repeatedly insist they never received your claims. Note: You should handle paper claims with the same three steps. Send a copy of the claim along with a letter stating you must assume the carrier received your claim because the postal service never returned the claim to its sender.