Avoid Medical Claims Issues by Verifying New Patient Data

When new patients fill out their new patient forms, they commonly provide information that does not match their insurance plan data.

Some people don’t use their given first name, often preferring their middle name or an abbreviation or another spelling:

Mike for Michael
John for Jon or Juan
Bea for Beatrice
Pat for Patricia, Patty or Patsy
Is it Lynn, Linn, Lynne, Linnet, Lin, Lyn, Lindsay, Lindsey or …

Here's an important tip: Front desk staff should ask to see the patient’s insurance card.

Check the data. The patient may have transposed numbers, particularly the long subscriber number.

Whatever is on the card is what you use for submitting the claim - even if the patient says the card is incorrect. The plan pays for the data on the card, no matter the spelling or date of birth.

Your reminder calls can help, asking patients to bring those important insurance cards.

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