Medical Billing Forum

Payments => Patient Billing => : macbook January 06, 2012, 02:10:05 PM

: Max time Allowed to Bill the Patient
: macbook January 06, 2012, 02:10:05 PM
Hello!

I have kept a claim "alive" for DOS 12/2009 until I reached a final denial from the right insurance company. (provider is a hospitalist). Will I still be abllowed to bill the patient? I mean is there such a law for the max time from the DOS  I can bill the patient?

Thank you for your help!
: Re: Max time Allowed to Bill the Patient
: PMRNC January 06, 2012, 02:28:00 PM
Depends on a few variables, state consumer laws regarding statute of limitations, date claim/charges were LAST billed and WHEN the patient was last billed. When you say you kept the claim "alive" does this mean you billed the patient in the interim? That will matter because statute of limitations usually start ticking from the last bill NOT date of service. 

 
: Re: Max time Allowed to Bill the Patient
: macbook January 13, 2012, 06:47:29 AM
Thank you Linda. What I meant by  "kept it alive" was when we kept on moving from one insurance to the other and correcting the claim etc. However, we have not billed the patient in the interim until it we have reached a final correspondence that there was no coverage.

Where do we find the statute of limitation for billing patients for TX? Thanks again...

: Re: Max time Allowed to Bill the Patient
: Michele January 14, 2012, 09:02:40 AM
I'm not sure where to find the TX law on that but 12/2009 is not terribly old.  Personally I would not want to get a bill that old (or be the one having to bill it!) but unfortunately in the billing world it happens more often then it should.
: Re: Max time Allowed to Bill the Patient
: PMRNC January 14, 2012, 12:28:08 PM
You can find the statutes most likely under Texas consumer laws.  If your correspondence back and forth between the carriers was recent and all in the name to collect on behalf of the patient, the patient most likely knows its due if they were getting the EOB's anyway, so I would go ahead and bill it for now and then see what happens.