Patient insurance cards should be reviewed

Patient insurance cards should be reviewed

• A. Every quarter
• B. At each visit
• C. Twice each year
• D. Once a year

Answer: (B)

Verifying insurance at each visit ensures you have current eligibility and know the patient’s financial responsibility before services are provided. Payers can change coverage, plan benefits, or required copays between visits, and some procedures may need preauthorization. Checking eligibility at the time of service helps prevent claim denials, reduces unexpected balances for patients, and keeps billing accurate by capturing updated plan details, subscriber IDs, group numbers, and coordination of benefits. If you only review coverage quarterly or yearly, changes that occur in between can lead to denied claims and surprises for patients. In practice, perform the check at check-in or before the service and update the billing records accordingly.

Verifying insurance at each visit ensures you have current eligibility and know the patient’s financial responsibility before services are provided. Payers can change coverage, plan benefits, or required copays between visits, and some procedures may need preauthorization. Checking eligibility at the time of service helps prevent claim denials, reduces unexpected balances for patients, and keeps billing accurate by capturing updated plan details, subscriber IDs, group numbers, and coordination of benefits. If you only review coverage quarterly or yearly, changes that occur in between can lead to denied claims and surprises for patients. In practice, perform the check at check-in or before the service and update the billing records accordingly.