…Not a guarantee of payment. Huh?
By Cindi Gatton |
Your doctor recommends a test or procedure. You’re a wise consumer. You ask your doctor or hospital to pre-authorize coverage, or maybe you even get the codes they will use to bill and call your insurer yourself. You get a pre-authorization reference number or a letter, but somewhere in the documents is a statement that …
Don’t you talk back to me! (Or, why this *isn’t* always advice worth taking!)
By Cindi Gatton |
I think it was often the look on my face. I can’t really remember ever “talking back” to an adult, but it’s hard to imagine any kid not wanting to at some point. I suspect there must have been something on my face that indicated I wanted to “talk back” that caused my grandmother or …
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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly About Dr. Google
By Cindi Gatton |
(Hint: It’s not personal.) There is no question that the internet has been the most important tool to ever empower patients with knowledge and information to make informed choices about their health and healthcare. Some have even given it a nickname of sorts, “Doctor Google.” It’s the first place many of us go when we …
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Appeal Your Insurance Denial Successfully!
By Cindi Gatton |
You’ve reviewed the letter from your insurance company that says they’re not going to pay for a service you or a loved one has already had. When the rage has cooled and you re-read the letter, it states the reasons they denied payment, which may or may not make sense to you. Terms like “Didn’t …
Should you appeal your insurance denial?
By Cindi Gatton |
Carla’s* mother had been hospitalized for a week for a hip replacement, and discharged to a skilled nursing facility for rehab. Three weeks after her admission, she received a notice that her mother’s Medicare plan was denying payment for her care because she wasn’t participating in therapy. Dave* had foot surgery that required the …
Making Hard Medical Decisions
By Cindi Gatton |
Back in the glory days of black and white television, Dr. Welby walked into a hospital room, provided a diagnosis, and told his patient what to do. As patients insisted on more of a role in decisions that affect them, often we now find ourselves in the position of our physicians providing options and asking …
Health Insurance: Test Your IQ
By Cindi Gatton |
What you don’t know might cost you! The air has already gotten a bit crisper on some of my morning walks. While that may mean apples and candy corn for some, it also signals open enrollment for health insurance for many of us. We have the most complicated healthcare system in the world, largely because …
Hospital Discharge: Could it be a bit more hospitable?
By Cindi Gatton |
I may be one of the few people on the planet who invested my second language studies in Latin. And yes, it probably would have been more practical to study a language people actually speak! While having a working knowledge of Latin has been helpful for crossword puzzles, at other times my intellectual curiosity simply …
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Short term health insurance….A horse (of course) or Mr. Ed?
By Cindi Gatton |
It looks like a horse. It smells like a horse. It rides like a horse. It must be a horse, right? Well, maybe, unless it’s the Famous Mr. Ed. For those of you too young to remember, Mr. Ed was a talking horse who could only be heard by his owner, and was a bit …
Short term health insurance….A horse (of course) or Mr. Ed? Read More »