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Maryland Workers' Comp Attorneys > Blog > Workers' Compensation > Why is it taking so long for my medical bills to be paid?

Why is it taking so long for my medical bills to be paid?

Why is it taking so long for my medical bills to be paid?

HCFA Forms

Maryland Workers’ Compensation laws require that medical bills be submitted on HCFA forms. These are standard billing forms used by most insurance companies that have fields for the appropriate and necessary CPT (current procedures terminology) codes. However, some practitioners may not be aware that this is a requirement for workers’ compensation claims or that the bill may be denied if it is not submitted properly on the HCFA form. The adherence to this rule varies between insurance companies, however if your provider is having trouble getting bills paid then the first step should be to ensure that the bills are submitted on HCFA forms. As an easy reference the workers’ compensation website provides a blank downloadable HCFA form.

Itemized Billing

Another reason your workers’ compensation medical bills are not getting paid could be that the bill that was sent to the insurance company was not itemized with the proper CPT codes. The workers’ compensation carrier cannot pay bills that are not properly itemized with these specific codes, similar to the codes that a primary care physician would provide to a private insurance company. In addition, many carriers also require that each office visit note from the billed dates of service are provided with the bill. This requirement is to ensure that the visit was related to a compensable body part or condition. Where the system fails is when the carrier denies payment of the medical bills and does not site to the reason it is denied. Often it is a clear case of one department not providing the proper medical records to the carrier’s billing department. Instead of working together the billing department denies the payment of the bill. To resolve this confusion and to save time our firm often will attach the appropriate medical report when sending in any reimbursement or bill pay request even though the carrier may have previously received the report.

Collections Letters

When a medical bill has not been paid, for various reasons, the provider will often send the bill to a collections agency or will seek payment from the claimant. It is important to know that a provider has their own course of action within the workers’ compensation commission to collect on bills for approved medical treatment. This is done through submitting a C51 claim for medical services to the commission. The commission will then issue an order nisi to the carrier requiring payment of the bills. The provider can request penalties, fees and interest if the bill is unpaid for over 45 days and the carrier failed to provide written communication of the denial. In addition, a claimant may notify the collections agency or doctor’s office that under Sec. 9-660, Labor and Employment Article, MD. Ann. Code, medical expenses related to an accepted and related workers’ compensation claim should be directed to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier.

Contact your Attorney

Facilitating payment of medical bills is one of the services we provide to our current and past clients for workers’ compensation cases we have handled. If you have not filed a claim for medical services that you feel are related to a workers’ compensation claim please contact our office as soon as possible so that we may assist you before these bills effect your credit.

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