{"id":17183,"date":"2017-11-15T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/about\/?p=17183"},"modified":"2023-11-21T11:21:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T16:21:40","slug":"how-often-should-you-update-your-in-network-insurance-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/resources\/blog\/article\/how-often-should-you-update-your-in-network-insurance-list\/","title":{"rendered":"How Often Should You Update Your Insurance List?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a situation any provider wants to avoid: you’ve just seen a patient who is\u00a0out-of-network<\/a>. Now, you\u2019re looking at time spent<\/a> negotiating with insurance companies over reimbursement.<\/p>\n

This unfortunate situation occurs in part because patients don\u2019t always understand their coverage. A Zocdoc-Kelton Global Insurance Confidence\u00a0survey<\/a>\u00a0found that only 28% of insured Americans feel confident their doctor is in their network, and 16% have made an appointment without being sure their insurance will cover their care.<\/p>\n

That patient uncertainty is understandable, since health insurance provider databases often contain inaccurate information. The New York Times reported<\/a> last year that insurance network databases are often severely out of date, listing practices as accepting new patients when they actually aren\u2019t, and even including frequent mistakes about which doctors work for which practices. So even if a patient understands their coverage, they might make an appointment with a doctor outside their network due to outdated information \u2014 or have trouble finding a doctor at all.<\/p>\n

While you can\u2019t control what health insurance providers do, taking a few steps to update your in-network insurance list can make a difference and help you and your patients avoid out-of-network visits.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how often you should be updating your list \u2014 and where to do it<\/h2>\n

First thing\u2019s first:<\/strong> make sure you\u2019re notifying every health insurance network you\u2019re part of as soon as there are any changes in the networks you\u2019re part of, the types of insurance you\u2019ll accept or whether you\u2019re accepting new patients.<\/p>\n

If letting insurance providers know right away isn\u2019t possible, set up a twice-weekly \u201ccheck-in\u201d time when you or your office manager can check for any change in the insurance you accept and whether you\u2019re accepting new patients, and notify the insurance provider accordingly. Some states, like California, require providers notify insurance companies within 5 days if you\u2019re accepting (or no longer accepting) new patients, so twice-weekly check-ins should be sufficient to comply with the law.<\/p>\n

You should also take advantage of your online presence to let potential new patients know if you\u2019re accepting new patients or changing the insurance plans you\u2019re able to accept. Keep this information up-to-date on your website, making changes immediately or during your twice-weekly check in.<\/p>\n

Finally, make sure to keep your Zocdoc profile<\/a> updated with your insurance information.<\/p>\n

Confirm coverage before an appointment with Insurance Checker<\/h2>\n

Of course, the best way to avoid an awkward situation is for patients to avoid booking an out-of-network appointment in the first place. The first step: patient education<\/strong>. Ask your patients (and prospective patients) to book appointments with you via the Zocdoc app<\/a>, and make use of our new Insurance Checker<\/a> tool when they do so.<\/p>\n

Insurance Checker scans a patient\u2019s insurance card to analyze their coverage and network, so Zocdoc can pair them with doctors in their network who are currently accepting new patients \u2014 no need to call office after office to find the doctor they need.<\/p>\n

Taking just a few minutes to keep your insurance information up-to-date not only makes it easier for in-network patients to find you, but helps both you and your patient stay focused on their care, instead of whether their insurance will cover it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a situation any provider wants to avoid: you’ve just seen a patient who is\u00a0out-of-network. Now, you\u2019re looking at time spent negotiating with insurance companies over reimbursement. This unfortunate situation occurs in part because patients don\u2019t always understand their coverage. A Zocdoc-Kelton Global Insurance Confidence\u00a0survey\u00a0found that only 28% of insured Americans feel confident their doctor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-17183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-insights","tag-insurance"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Often Should You Update Your In-Network Insurance List?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While you can\u2019t control what health insurance providers do, taking a few steps to update your in-network insurance list can make a difference and help you and your patients avoid out-of-network visits.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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