Electronic E&B enables practice to achieve greater productivity with patient and health plans with NaviNet Insurer Connect

Space Coast Endoscopy Center, a premier Rockledge, Florida outpatient surgery center, is focused on providing individualized patient care. The center’s six doctors screen an average of 650 patients per month for colorectal cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Timely verification of insurance eligibility and benefits is crucial for both the patient and the facility.

Angela Fitzgerald, admissions receptionist at Space Coast Endoscopy Center, verifies insurance eligibility and benefits for patients and informs them of their appointment time as well as any co-pay or co-insurance due at the time of the visit. “Patients appreciate knowing, in advance, what portion of their procedure is going to be covered by their insurer,” she says. Fitzgerald first learned about NaviNet in 2008 when Aetna retired its proprietary Web site and referred users to its new secure provider portal, NaviNet Insurer Connect. She found it so easy to use that she has taught other co-workers how to use the site.

“NaviNet is intuitive and self explanatory,” raves Fitzgerald.

“I’ve never had to call customer care or use the online customer support. In the two years I’ve used NaviNet, there have only been a few times where updates were occurring on the site. Updates are announced up front, and I usually check back 20-30 minutes later and they’re completed.” Fitzgerald relies on NaviNet so much for the center’s UnitedHealthcare and Aetna patients that she has asked her office manager to enroll the center with NaviNet Medicare Eligibility to help her save even more time, as a percentage of the center’s patients are covered by Medicare.

NaviNet Medicare Eligibility saves time
“I spend at least 20-30 minutes per patient on the phone with Medicare representatives when verifying eligibility. The first five minutes are spent entering our NPI number, tax ID number and medical provider ID as well as listening to the recent updates. There’s no option to bypass the recording,” she says. With a percentage of the facility’s patients receiving Medicare benefits, Fitzgerald anticipates saving 65 hours per month just on verifying Medicare eligibility through NaviNet.

Accurate administrative information improves patient satisfaction and reduces costly appointment cancelations
“NaviNet is always accurate,” states Fitzgerald. “The information found on other sites, including the insurer’s Web site, is often different than what I find out when I call the insurer directly. With NaviNet, I never have to worry that I have the wrong information regarding deductibles, co-insurance and co-pay amounts. Even if the deductible is zero, it’s clearly stated in NaviNet, whereas other sites leave the field blank, so you’re unsure whether the deductible is actually zero or if it’s really $2,000 and the amount is just missing.”

When patients are confused about what their insurance covers, Fitzgerald prints their benefits directly from NaviNet and quickly educates them on how their deductibles and co-pays work. This is especially helpful for patients filing claims with a second or third insurance company, and who are uncertain of what each company covers.

“Not only can I get more verifications done each day,” Fitzgerald states, “patients do not have to worry about checking on their eligibility themselves - something that should be seamless as far as the patient is concerned.”

Endoscopy procedures typically require patients to spend a full day in physical preparation for their surgery. If a patient needs to cancel their appointment during this time frame, the facility will often have trouble filling the open slot, and end up losing money. Accurate eligibility verification from NaviNet helps reduce last minute cancelations and rescheduled appointments due to patients who are not financially prepared to pay their co-pay or co-insurance.

Space Coast Endoscopy has experienced greater patient satisfaction, lower administration costs and increased revenue due to the reduced amount of canceled or rescheduled appointments because of last-minute surprises regarding eligibility.

To learn more about NaviNet Medicare Eligibility, please click here.