Health Insurance and Billing Concerns

Our staff is committed to providing you with the best medical care possible and to assisting you with the financial process.

Accepted Insurance Plans and Referrals

Our office participates in a variety of insurance plans. Please look at the section for Sinai Hospital. Many insurance plans require a referral from your primary care physician to be seen by a specialist. To avoid delays, please bring any required referrals for treatment and diagnostic testing at the time of or before your visit. If you do not have a required referral, your visit may be rescheduled or you may be financially responsible.

Financial Policy

Payment in full is expected at the time of service. If you have an insurance plan in which we do not participate, we require payment in full at time of service, but our office will be glad to file the insurance claim upon request.

Your Health Insurance Benefits

If you have questions regarding your insurance, we will try to help. However, questions relating to specific coverage issues must be directed to your insurance company’s member services department. Their telephone number is normally on the back of your insurance card. Please use this Health Insurance Benefits Worksheet to thoroughly research your benefits.

For most of the surgeries performed at the International Center for Limb Lengthening, physical therapy is required for recovery and generally starts the first week after surgery. Almost all patients undergoing treatment will require intensive physical therapy, usually five times a week. It is important to investigate ahead of time the physical therapy benefits your insurance coverage provides. Do not assume that you are automatically covered for the extensive therapy required with this type of surgery, as that often is not the case. If you do not have adequate physical therapy benefits, it might be better to delay elective surgery until the matter can be resolved.

The following apply to every visit:

• Bring your insurance card.
• Be prepared to pay your co-payment and deductible (if applicable) amount. For medical care not covered by your insurance, payment in full is due at the time of the visit.

Out of State Medical Assistance

While we cannot accept out of state Medicaid, we have successfully contracted single case agreements with some individual out of state Medicaid providers so that treatment has been covered. Please see our “Pathway to the International Center for Limb Lengthening: A Guide for Patients with Out-of-Area Insurance Plans” brochure for more information. For further assistance, please contact: Joan Karim, International Development and Financial Manager, at jkarim@lifebridgehealth.org.

Plans Where We Are Out of Network

If your insurance limits the geographical area in which you are able to receive care or have an HMO that prevents you from going out of network, we may be able to be of assistance. Our past experience has proven that we can sometimes negotiate agreements with insurance companies allowing patients to be seen for necessary specialized treatment, even if their insurance company initially did not approve treatment at Sinai. Please see our “Pathway to the International Center for Limb Lengthening: A Guide for Patients with Out-of-Area Insurance Plans” brochure for more information. For further assistance, please contact: Joan Karim, International Development and Financial Manager, at jkarim@lifebridgehealth.org.

Financial Assistance

If you are unable to pay for necessary medical care, you may be eligible for financial assistance. It is your responsibility to inform us of any such concerns before your visit. For more information about financial assistance from Sinai Hospital, please click here.

International Patients

We have a staff member who can assist with your international billing concerns; please contact: Joan Karim, International Development and Financial Manager, at jkarim@lifebridgehealth.org. For more helpful information especially for our international patients, please see our Information for International Patients page of our website.

Billing

Please see our “Understanding Your Medical Bills” handout for more details of our billing procedures.

For billing questions for inpatient or outpatient hospital services bills, physican service bills, or Sinai physical therapy bills, please call 1-800-788-6995  or email: LBHCustomerService@lifebridgehealth.org.

Cost Estimates

Most of the surgery performed at the International Center for Limb Lengthening (ICLL) is covered by medical insurance. However, for self-pay patients, or when required by your insurance company, we can provide a cost estimate for your treatment. The first step is to have one of our physicians review the patient’s condition. Once the patient’s medical needs have been determined, we can provide an advance estimate. This usually requires a visit to the ICLL and evaluation by one of our physicians. For more information, please contact us at icll@lifebridgehealth.org.