Our billing process
We know how complicated the medical billing process can be and that the expenses associated with a surgery can be overwhelming. USAP participates in most major health plans in the communities we serve in order to minimize the confusion and hassle associated with resolving your financial obligations and to minimize your financial burden.
Surprise Billing
To learn about your rights & protections against surprise medical bills, click here.
You will likely receive a separate bill for your anesthesia service
Your anesthesia clinicians are specialists like your surgeon or internist, and you will receive a bill for your anesthesia clinician’s professional service separate from your surgeon’s services. USAP will submit most bills directly to your insurance company for payment on your behalf. Your hospital or surgery center will ask you for insurance and demographic information. Your cooperation in giving complete information will help get your insurance claim filed quickly.
USAP will file a claim with your insurance company
If we are provided with complete insurance information, we will file a claim to your insurance carrier. We usually allow the insurance company 30 days to process and pay our claim. If you have not received an explanation of benefits from your insurance company within this time, you may want to contact your insurance carrier directly to find out the status of the claim. Please note that the insurance company may hold a claim due to missing information from the insured or from another healthcare provider.
If there is an outstanding balance
In many cases, there may still be a balance due from you for deductible or co-payment amounts after your insurance has paid our claim. If we have been supplied with information regarding your secondary insurance, we will bill them for any balance due. If you do not have secondary insurance, you will receive a statement for the amount due. If you do not have insurance, or cannot afford to pay the balance in full after insurance, USAP can work with you to minimize your costs in light of your financial situation. Click here for USAP’s Financial Assistance Policy and Application
Care Team billing
USAP often uses an Anesthesia Care Team, which involves a Physician (Anesthesiologist) and either a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) or a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA). In cases where an Anesthesia Care Team is involved, we are required by some insurance companies to report where there is CNRA/CAA involvement by sending two identical claims to the insurance company — one for the Anesthesiologist and one for the CRNA/CAA. This method follows the insurance company's billing requirements for Anesthesia Care Team cases, and is not duplicate billing. The insurance company then processes both claims and pays the contracted rate for each provider of service. The total paid for the two claims is similar to what would be paid for a single Physician if no CRNA/CAA was involved.
We are available to help answer any questions you have and to do what we can to accommodate your financial needs.