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Billing Questions

If your question is not answered here, please do not hesitate to call our billing department at 888-551-9566 or Contact Us.  Our representatives are available to help you with questions or concerns about your bill from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM CDT. When calling, please have your insurance information and a copy of your bill from Cockerell Dermatopathology on hand.

Please note that by law, Cockerell Dermatopathology cannot answer patients’ questions about diagnostic results. Please consult with your doctor to explain your results.

If you would like to pay your bill online please click on the Pay My Bill button.

Who's Cockerell Dermatopathology?

The specimen your doctor removed was referred to Cockerell Dermatopathology for diagnostic interpretation. Our board-certified dermatopathologists, specialists in diagnosing dermatologic disorders, examined your specimen under a microscope and, if needed, consulted with your doctor to obtain additional details such as clinical appearance and/or family history. This collaborative relationship between your doctor and our dermatopathologists helps ensure you receive the most precise and conclusive diagnosis.

 

Please note that your doctor’s fee for specimen removal does not include Cockerell Dermatopathology’s pathology charge. Our diagnostic services are billed separately to your primary and secondary insurance. Within a few weeks of your office visit, you will receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurance company detailing our fees and estimated payment. It’s crucial to understand that this EOB is not a bill. If a balance is due, often because you have not met your annual deductible or your insurance plan includes a laboratory coinsurance, we will send you a detailed invoice.

 

Since your doctor does not have access to Cockerell Dermatopathology’s billing information, please call our customer service department with any questions.

Insurance Claims and Payments

Cockerell Dermatopathology will file a claim with your insurance company as soon as we have all the necessary information. Claims are filed according to the type of insurance you have.

Medicare:

Cockerell Dermatopathology accepts Medicare’s full dollar amount as payment for a test. In the event that Medicare pays less than the full dollar amount because the policy only pays a percentage of the total cost, the deductible or the co-insurance amount has not been met, or any other reason, you are responsible for paying the difference between the amount paid by Medicare and the full allowed amount.

Medicaid:

Cockerell Dermatopathology accepts Medicaid’s full dollar amount as payment for a test.

Third-Party Insurance Company:

If we are not in your insurance plan’s network, we will accept their reasonable and customary fee for services and you will be responsible for paying any deductible or co-insurance amount specified by your insurance company. “Reasonable and customary fee” means the amount that your insurance company currently considers appropriate for services in your geographic area. If we have a contract with your insurance company, you will be responsible for paying any deductible or co-insurance amount specified by your insurance company.

Secondary and Supplemental Insurance:

Please make sure your doctor has information for both your primary and secondary insurance before undergoing any procedure. If you have insurance policies in addition to your primary coverage and we have all the necessary information, we will file the claim with your secondary carrier. Contact our billing department if you receive a bill and believe no claim has been filed with your secondary insurance. Once the necessary information has been received, we will file a claim with your secondary insurance.

If You Have No Health Insurance:

You are responsible for paying any bills you receive for services. If you do not have health insurance, we will be happy to help work out a payment plan. Call our billing department to pay your bill or arrange a payment plan.

Explanation of Benefits:

When insurance companies process claims, they send the insured a document called an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). This form summarizes the payments your insurance policy has made on your behalf and specifies if any outstanding amount is still owed. EOBs are not bills and are intended only to notify you of your insurance company’s actions. You are responsible for paying for our services only if you receive a bill directly from Cockerell Dermatopathology.

If Your Insurance Company Pays You Directly for Services Performed by Cockerell Dermatopathology:

Please send a copy of your EOB along with your endorsed check from the insurance company to the address on our billing statement.  When the funds have been received, we will credit your account and bill you for any outstanding balance.

If You Have Satisfied Your Annual Deductible and Received a Bill:

Please contact your insurance company, verify your benefits, and make sure your claim was processed correctly. If you find your claim was not handled according to your plan’s benefits, work with your insurance company to ensure the correct payment of the claim.

Bills From Cockerell Dermatopathology

There are a few reasons why you might receive a bill directly from Cockerell Dermatopathology. You may owe a co-pay, deductible or other payment, according to your insurance company (see Glossary of Terms). We may have incomplete or incorrect insurance information, which prevented us from filing a claim for you, or we may not have gotten a response from your insurance company.

If you have received a bill from our office, your dermatologist requested our services. Often dermatologists will remove a sample from a patient during an office visit and send it to a dermatopathologist, a highly trained physician who examines tissue specimens under a microscope, uses the medical information shared by your doctor, and consults with him or her as necessary. This personal service and collaboration between your doctor and our dermatopathologists help ensure the most precise, conclusive diagnosis. The dermatopathologist then bills your insurance for this service and sends you a bill in accordance with your health benefit plan design.

Timing:

It generally takes about 2 months for an insurance company to respond to a claim filed by Cockerell Dermatopathology. Sometimes the response is a request for additional information, which makes the billing process take longer. This is why you may receive a bill from us several months after your procedure. We will do everything possible to make this process go as smoothly as possible and resolve the claim with your insurance carrier before contacting you.

Billing Information:

If Cockerell Dermatopathology has incorrect or incomplete billing information for your insurance coverage, you will receive a bill for the full amount due for services. You may then provide us with accurate, complete insurance information and we will file a claim with your insurance company for payment of your bill. To avoid delays, please make sure your doctor has all your correct insurance information.

Disputed Claims:

Cockerell Dermatopathology is not responsible for collecting the insurance claim or negotiating settlements on claims that are subject to any type of dispute. If you believe your insurance company has not processed your claim correctly according to your plan benefits, please work with them to resolve the issue.

Methods of Payment

Cockerell Dermatopathology accepts payments by check and accepts most credit cards.  You may mail your payment, call our billing service or pay via the Internet.  Reference your Cockerell Dermatopathology bill for our mailing address and phone number.  If you choose to pay your bill via the Internet, choose Online Bill Pay from the Patients section of this website.

Glossary of Terms

Coinsurance:

The amount that you are obliged to pay for covered medical services after you’ve satisfied any co-payment or deductible required by your health insurance plan. Coinsurance is typically expressed as a percentage of the charge or allowable charge for a service rendered by a healthcare provider. For example, if your insurance company covers 80% of the allowable charge for a specific service, you may be required to cover the remaining 20% as coinsurance.

Co-Payment:

A specific charge that your health insurance plan may require that you pay for a specific medical service or supply also referred to as a “co-pay.” For example, your health insurance plan may require a $15 co-payment for an office visit or brand-name prescription drug, after which the insurance company often pays the remainder of the charges.

Deductible:

A specific dollar amount that your health insurance company may require that you pay out-of-pocket each year before your health insurance plan begins to make payments for claims. Not all health insurance plans require a deductible. As a general rule (though there are many exceptions), HMO plans typically do not require a deductible, while most Indemnity and PPO plans do.

Benefit:

A general term referring to any service (such as an office visit, laboratory test, surgical procedure, etc.) or supply (such as prescription drugs, durable medical equipment, etc.) covered by a health insurance plan in the normal course of a patient’s healthcare.

 

Benefit Level:

The maximum amount a health insurance company agrees to pay for a specific covered benefit.

 

Balance Billing:

The amount you could be responsible for (in addition to any co-payments, deductibles or coinsurance) if you use an out-of-network provider and the fee for a particular service exceeds the allowable charge for that service.

Eligible Expenses:

Expenses defined by the health insurance plan as eligible for coverage.

 

Network Provider:

A healthcare provider who has a contractual relationship with a health insurance company. Among other things, this contractual relationship may establish standards of care, clinical protocols, and allowable charges for specific services. In return for entering into this kind of relationship with an insurance company, a healthcare provider typically gains in numbers of patients and a primary care physician may receive a capitation fee for each patient assigned to his or her care.

 

Usual, Customary and Reasonable (UCR) Charge:

This refers to the standard or most common charge for a particular medical service when rendered in a particular geographic area. It is often employed in determining Medicare payment amounts.

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