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1. Who
is Instream?
Instream handles billing and collections for
anesthesiologists and pain management physicians.
2. Why
are you sending me a bill?
If you receive a bill from Instream, you must
have recently had a medical procedure requiring anesthesia or
pain management services. Anesthesia and pain management
services are billed separately from the hospital.
3. How
is anesthesia charged?
Anesthesia is billed in time units (15 minute
increments) and base units, which are assigned by the American
Society of Anesthesiologists.
4. Why
didn’t my insurance pay?
Please call the patient services department
at the number provided on your statement for more information on
why your insurance claim was denied. If you disagree with the
denial please contact your insurance company.
5. Why
is my anesthesiologist not in network when my hospital and
surgeon are?
Your anesthesiologist is a separate entity
from the hospital. Anesthesiologists’ contracts with hospitals
do not require that they contract with the same insurance
companies as the hospital. It is the patient’s responsibility
to verify that all providers are in network.
6. Why
are there two of the same charges?
Some insurance companies require us to bill
two charges: one for the anesthesiologist and one for the CRNA
(Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist). You are not being
double billed.
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7. Why
am I being billed when I haven’t had surgery?
Some anesthesiologists are also certified to
provide pain management or critical care services. If you
have recently received medical care, you may have been treated
by one of these physicians. Please call our patient
services department toll-free at 1-888-280-9533 to verify
that your charges are correct.
8. How
long does it take to get my refund?
Approximately 30 days on average.
9. How
long does it take for my insurance company to make payment?
This varies with each insurance company. We
file claims daily to the insurance companies and usually within
1 week of the date of service. We allow at least 30 days for
the insurance companies to pay, but often it takes longer.
10.
My insurance company says it
needs anesthesia "time".
Please notify our patient services department
of this request by calling toll-free, 1-888-280-9533, and we will contact your insurance company
directly.
11.
Why does the hospital charge for
anesthesia also?
The hospital charges for any anesthesia
medications and supplies. We bill for the professional services
provided by the anesthesia team (anesthesiologist and CRNA).
12.
For what
anesthesia charges will I be responsible?
First and foremost, please verify that your
insurance carrier is a participating provider with the
anesthesia client. Your patient liability will be determined
based on your individual policy. Please contact your insurance
carrier to discuss your policy.
13.
What if I have
no insurance?
Instream will make every attempt to assist
those who have no insurance coverage. We offer several plans,
including pre-payment with a negotiated discount and also
flexible payment plans. Please call us toll-free at
1-888-280-9533 to discuss this further.
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14.
I have met my
deductible, why didn’t my insurance pay more?
Please contact
your insurance carrier to verify this information. Also, verify
that the rendering physician was a participating provider on
your date of service.
15.
You have
incorrect insurance information.
Please contact
our patient services department toll-free at 1-888-280-9533.
16.
What payment
methods do you accept?
We accept almost
all payment methods. Please note, we only accept Visa and
MasterCard credit cards.
17.
My insurance
carrier is requesting additional information from you.
In the event
your insurance carrier needs additional information, they will
notify us by phone or mail. We will return the requested
information in a timely manner.
18.
Which insurance
carriers do you accept?
Please call our patient services department
toll-free at 1-888-280-9533 to verify if we are a participating provider of your insurance.
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