We accept cash, personal checks, cashiers’ checks or money orders, and the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

Professional fees for anesthesia services are billed separately from your hospital, surgical center or surgeon’s bill. When you have a surgical procedure performed, you will typically receive a bill from each entity involved with your surgical care.

The hospital or clinic will charge for any equipment, drugs or supplies used by our anesthesia providers and sometimes for technical support by hospital employees. Our charges are for the professional portion of your care, and are based on the complexity of your procedure, the time required for your surgery and your personal health status.

AAB physicians are not employed by the hospital, and our group is a separate entity. We do not always contract with the same insurance companies as the hospital or surgeon. It is the patient’s responsibility to verify that all providers are in-network. It is sometimes the case that insurance companies will make an exception to the out of network designation when it can be shown that the patient was at an in-network facility and had no choice of providers for anesthesia. Our office staff will be happy to help you work with your insurance company to obtain the best coverage possible.

We may not have contracts with some of the smaller insurance organizations. Please contact us at (208) 801-7199 or email us if your plan is not on the list and you would like financial assistance. Contact your insurance carrier directly to verify specific details about your coverage, or check with your plan administrator.

If you do not find your insurance company listed, please contact our office, and we can verify whether or not we are contracted.

Participating insurance companies:

• Aetna (SLHP/Brightpath)
• Blue Cross of Idaho
• BrightPath (St. Luke's Health Partners)
• Cigna Healthcare (IPN)
• Great West (IPN)
• Idaho Physicians Network (IPN)
• Medicare/Medi-HMO's
• Idaho Medicaid
• ICHS (Simplot)
• Pacific Source (IPN & Select)
• Regence Blue Shield of Idaho
• Select Health
• Secure Horizons
• TriCare/TriWest
• Workers Compensation

Yes, you can call the AAB office and we will assist you in determining the professional component of your anesthesia care. We will need the surgical CPT code and your surgeon’s estimate of surgery time. Be aware that this will be an estimate only. Our charges will be based on the actual time of your surgery, as well as your health status, and the complexity of the procedure. Your surgery may be shorter, or longer, or involve complexities, or additional procedures not originally anticipated, and in that case, your actual charges for anesthesia may vary from the original estimate.

AAB is large team of anesthesia providers that works closely together to ensure that each patient is provided the highest level of care. Occasionally, an anesthesia provider may be called to relieve one of his/her associates during your care. Only one bill will be processed, with the name of the anesthesia provider who spent the most time with you during your surgery.

We offer several methods for payment, including pre-payment with a negotiated discount, and also a flexible payment schedule. If you are uninsured, unemployed, or have other circumstances that prevent you from settling your account in a timely manner, please contact our office and one of our staff will assist you in determining what plan will work for you.

Yes. Once you have received your letter of approval from the hospital, please email a copy to billing@anesthesiaofboise.com or mail a copy to the AAB office.  Once we receive the letter, we will match the financial care discount given by the hospital.

Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills

**When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from balance billing. In these cases, you shouldn’t be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance and/or deductible.**

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other healthcare provider,you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, like a copayment, coinsurance,or deductible.  You may have additional costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” means providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan to provide services. Out-of-network providers may be allowed to bill you for the difference between what your plan pays and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your plan’s deductible or annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing”is an unexpected balance bill. This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care—like when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly treated by an out-of-network provider. Surprise medical bills could cost thousands of dollars depending on the procedure or service.

You’re protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services. If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of- network provider or facility, the most they can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition, unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center. When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers can bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and may not ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed. If you get other types of services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you, unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You also aren’t required to get out-of-network care. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

The Idaho Patient Act (Idaho Code 48-301 through 312) requires a healthcare provider, before taking certain collection actions, to submit its charges to a patient or the patient’s third-party payor within 45 days after the respective services were provided or the patient was discharged from the hospital.

When balance billing isn't allowed, you also have these protections:

You're only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like copayments, coinsurance, and deductible that you would pay if the provider or facility was in-network). Your health plan will pay any additional costs to out-of-network providers and facilities directly.

Generally, your health plan must:

-Cover emergency services without requiring you get approval for services in advance (also known as "prior authorization").

-Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.

-Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.

-Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your in-network deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

If you think you've been wrongfully billed, please contact one of the agencies listed below.

Idaho Department of Insurance

1-800-721-3272

https://link.edgepilot.com/s/f8e0ef6d/lvoiLqOQykO4NfxMP3BWeg?u=https://doi.idaho.gov/

 

 

 

 

United States Department of Health and Human Services

1-800-985-3059

https://link.edgepilot.com/s/894decc9/oG4yhCH9JkKlW7TQFBDPZQ?u=https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises