Understanding The Insurance Claim Form And The Proper Way To Fill It Out

With a majority of insurance companies and plans concentrating on PPO and HMO benefits there is little need to fill in an insurance claim form. In the past, somebody used to visit the doctor, pay their entire bill outright, and then fill out a claim form to attain compensation for their out of pocket expenses. At the time most individuals were covered under indemnity policies, which allowed for reimbursement in this way.

Naturally, most men and women don't fill out claim forms anymore and many doctors' offices actually now process all their claims electronically which not only helps do away with a lot of the paper issues but in addition helps to speed up payment and requests for additional information. Most medical records are actually kept electronically as well.

Medical claim forms used to be a real drag because the person would have to complete a portion, get the doctor to fill out an additional portion, and provide proof of payment. Even once these criteria were met, individuals still needed to provide more details in about 85% of all claims situations. This meant that they once again would have to bother their doctor for some more paperwork.

In the end it is extremely obvious why the filing of paper health insurance claim forms was anything less than efficient and why many medical professionals see HMO and PPO programs as a much better fit for them. First of all in these types of programs there is very little questioning about the services rendered simply because the professionals are covered under the plan and therefore are trusted members in the medical community. Secondly, because there is no delay in payment and information can be exchanged over the Internet in the rare case that something is questioned.

Doctors like this method of insurance because it is one that allows them to treat patients without fear of not being paid and because there is much less paperwork involved. Patients prefer these programs because they cost them less in premiums and in out of pocket costs when they visit the doctor. They don't have to file the cumbersome health insurance forms themselves anymore and they receive better overall health care with less insurance denials.

Overall the addition of the computer into the health insurance coverage industry has been nothing short of a godsend. They help to expedite paperwork and make the process way more efficient.