Thank you for choosing Phinney Primary Care & Wellness for your healthcare. We are excited to announce improved changes to our billing protocol and procedures in alignment with our commitment to enhanced patient service. We have decided to bring billing services in-house instead of having an outsourced third party billing company handle our patients claims.This will allow us to have a more personalized and full hands on approach to patients billing accounts. We are committed to providing you with the highest quality of services, this change will allow us to ensure billing done correctly and efficiently.

In-house billing means that a dedicated member of our clinic staff will submit claims to the insurance companies for reimbursement. They will also handle charges, collect patient fees (copays and deductibles), and manage the accounts receivable.

We are moving away from 3rd party billing companies who have fewer touch points with each practice and often spread attention between many other practices. Outside billing services can cause interruptions and delays in the full billing process that begins with:

1. insurance eligibility check →
2. submitting the claim to the correct insurance →
3. correcting the claim code if needed for resubmission →
4. receiving an Explanation of Benefits and payment from insurance →
5. posting the insurance payment →
6. sending out a statement for patient balance →
7. collecting patient balance due.

A hiccup during any of the steps can cause a delay in the whole billing process. Our goal is to streamline our billing procedures to get it done efficiently with minimal errors.

With the help of trusted and long term employees, In-house billing will allow us to have hands-on control of our financial operations. Our in house biller will be available to address any insurance billing issues or patient inquiries on a daily basis.

One crucial element to have a more efficient system and focus on patient concerns is to not waste time tracking down patient balances. Starting in the fall of 2023, we will require all patients to have a valid credit card on file with us. Your credit card information will be securely kept in our billing system. After your appointment, you will receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurer. The EOB will show you what the insurance has paid and what is your responsibility to pay. Once the EOB is received, you will get an emailed invoice from us with the balance owed. You will have 30 days to make a payment on our payment portal, or contact us or your insurance company with any questions. Any open balances left unpaid 30 days after invoicing will be notified first then charged to the patient's card on file. Copays and Self- pay visits will be charged on the credit card on file on the day of the visit, if payment was not made by the patient themselves.

We do want to remind all patients that we bill your insurance as a service to you. Just like when you check into a hotel they ask for a credit card for unpaid balances, we need it for a similar reason. Please help us make this process more efficient and allow us to focus on getting your bills paid by your insurance and to be available to talk to you when you have questions.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we make improvements to our billing system. Our goal is to achieve better efficiency and access in the billing process and to offer our patients a higher level of service.