Frequently Asked Questions
Why did both you and the hospital bill me?
The
hospital bills you for anesthesia related medications, supplies and
equipment, but the bill does not include the services of the
anesthesiologist. Anesthesiologists are physicians specially trained
in administering anesthesia and monitoring your health. This bill is
for the anesthesiologist's services before, during and after
surgery. What is a CRNA and why was I billed for it? Your
care involved services provided by both an anesthesiologist (doctor)
and a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Medicare, and
some other insurance plans, require two separate bills for the
anesthesia provided during your surgical procedure --one for the
doctor and one for the nurse. The total payment we receive for each
bill is exactly half of what we would receive if only one provider
was involved in your care. Therefore, the total payment is equal to
what we would be paid if only the doctor provided your care without
the assistance of a CRNA. This billing requirement to send two bills
to get one total payment can cause confusion. It may seem that we
are billing twice for the same service. We want to assure you that
we are not billing twice for the same service; we are only following
the regulations set forth by Medicare and other insurance plans for
billing for anesthesia services. Why did I receive a statement
with zero due? We may be billing your insurance. The amount
due will change after insurance pays their portion. Please closely
review subsequent bills for amounts that are your responsibility
such as:
- Office Copayments
- Applicable Coinsurance
- Annual Deductibles
- Services not covered by insurance
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