As of January 2014, Regence physical medicine providers must get preauthorization through a third party company, Care Core National, in order to treat a Regence patient. What this means is that massage therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors now need preauthorization before a visit in order for reimbursement to be considered. A simple doctor’s prescription will no longer suffice.
Since I am only capable of doing out-of-network billing for Regence I am changing my Regence “policy”. Previously, I would bill on your behalf and you would pay at time of service. A reimbursement check would come addressed to you from the insurance company. Effective immediately, I will no longer be providing that complementary billing for Regence, UMP, or HMA patients. If requested I will continue to provide a receipt with the necessary codes to be used in pursuit of reimbursement.
I did a lot of thinking before deciding on this specific change. The extra admin time now required for Regence is simply not worth the effort on my part. If I might be candid, the lowering reimbursement rates and increased admin procedures for each insurance is very discouraging. As such I have to pick my battles. My time is valuable. Unfortunately, Regence hasn’t maintained enough of a benefit for my business.
Thank you for understanding.
Melissa