Avoiding Coverage Surprises on Patient Invoices
All of us have had challenges with insurance covering medications and treatments. Pre-authorizations seem to be an “activity of daily living” in clinic offices. Some days it appears to be quite overwhelming and redundant. So, how can you make the process easier?
- Know your insurance company, the forms they use, the process they require and the time it will take to get an answer.
- Have necessary information available.
Streamlining Pre-authorization
We all know that PTNS is NOT first-line therapy for OAB. Help your staff out by having a flow sheet in the medical record of all previous treatments for OAB. Note what they were, the dates and why they failed. If you have EMR, it might be helpful to have this added to your documentation. This form is the most helpful piece we have when it comes to pre-authorization. It is all right there. It makes it especially easy if office personnel who are not health care professionals are doing the pre-authorizations. Time is money!
If you would like a copy of the form we use in our clinic, please email me at wooldrle@trinity-health.org.
I would be happy to email you a copy. Since I am a nurse practitioner, it also has a spot for my collaborating physician to sign so there is always a physician order for PTNS on the chart.
Documenting Past Therapy
Also keep in mind that many OAB patients may not progress to PTNS therapy. Many are better just with behavioral changes. More get better by adding medications that are well tolerated. This documentation keeps a trail of what you have done, when and what the results were. It beats reading a chart of events over the past several years and figuring out why you switched from one treatment to another.
Try it. You might like it!
This blog post reflects the opinions and experience of Leslie Wooldridge, a long-standing user of the Urgent PC Neuromodulation System, and was produced under a paid consulting agreement with Cogentix Medical.
Urgent PC is indicated for the treatment of Overactive Bladder and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency and urge incontinence. Treatment with Urgent PC is contraindicated for patients with pacemakers or implantable defibrillators, patients prone to excessive bleeding, patients with nerve damage that could impact either percutaneous tibial nerve or pelvic floor function or patients who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the duration of the treatment. Most patients don't experience side-effects. If side-effects occur, they are typically temporary and include mild pain and skin inflammation at or near the stimulation site. Caution: Federal law (USA) restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician. For complete instructions for use, storage, warnings, indications, contraindications, precautions, adverse reactions and disclaimer of warranties, please refer to the insert accompanying each product or online at www.cogentixmedical.com. Models are for illustrative purposes only. Urgent is a registered trademark of Cogentix Medical © 2015 Cogentix Medical. All rights reserved.