Billing

About Your Bill

Manhattan Endoscopy Center (MEC) will make every effort to keep this process as simple as possible. Your endoscopic procedure will generate several different bills from different sources:

• MEC’s bill covers the use of the facility and all necessary supplies used during your surgical procedure. MEC will also be submitting a claim for anesthesia services provided.
• You will receive separate bills from your gastroenterologist.
• Other billable services that may be used during your procedure are laboratory and/or pathology charges.

Our facility works with your doctor’s office to make sure we have accurate insurance information. As a courtesy, we will contact your insurance carrier if there is any question about your eligibility. We will make every attempt to notify you of your financial responsibility ahead of the time of service. If you cannot be reached, you will be given the amount at check-in.

Manhattan Endoscopy Center collects all co-pays, deductibles, co-insurances, and non-covered amounts at the time of service. The amount due is calculated on base fees and may be adjusted dependent upon the final outcome of your procedure. You will be billed for all remaining balances. We accept cash, personal checks, Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

You can now pay the bill through ZIRMED with this link: https://www.patientnotebook.com/MECN

The Center also accepts CareCredit, though patients must apply for acceptance before their procedure: Apply for payment through CareCredit

Claims Processing

Within a week following your procedure, MEC will file all necessary insurance claims related to your procedure for our facility and anesthesia services. Remember your gastroenterologist and possibly a pathology company, will also file separate claims for their services. When the insurance company settles the claim, our billing company will reconcile your payments along with the related insurance payments to determine if there is any balance still due. You will receive a statement from us summarizing all of this and will be expected to pay any remaining balance within 30 days of the receipt of that statement. Any unpaid balances remaining after 60 days from the initial statement date will be forwarded to a collection company for follow up and collection. If this occurs, your credit rating could be negatively affected. Please contact us at your earliest convenience so that we may work with you to resolve any questions or potential discrepancies with your account. If after your claim is adjudicated and your account reflects a credit balance, the Center will refund this amount within 45 days of posting the insurance payment.

If you are a Medicare recipient and have a Medicare secondary insurance carrier, we will file all necessary claims with your secondary carrier after Medicare settles our charges. Please make sure we have all the correct Medicare secondary insurance information when you arrive for your procedure.

Should your secondary insurance carrier not settle this claim within 45 days we will consider these charges your personal responsibility and will send you a statement for the remaining unpaid balance. Our billing company will work with you to get your Medicare secondary insurance to make the appropriate payments and settle your account.

How do deductibles, copay, and coinsurance work?

When both you and your health insurance company pay for your health care expenses, it’s called cost sharing. Deductibles, coinsurance and copay’s are all examples of cost sharing. Understanding how they work will help you know how much you’ll pay.

Please check your plan for details or contact your insurance company directly with any questions you may have.

Copay

A copay is a fixed amount you pay for a health care service, usually when you receive the service. The amount can vary by the type of service.

How it works: Your plan determines what your copay is for different types of services, and when you have one. You may have a copay before you’ve finished paying toward your deductible. You may also have a copay after you pay your deductible, and when you owe coinsurance.

Coinsurance

The percentage of costs of a covered health care service you pay (20%, for example) after you’ve paid your deductible.

Let’s say your health insurance plan’s allowed amount for an office visit is $100 and your coinsurance is 20%.

If you’ve paid your deductible: You pay 20% of $100, or $20. The insurance company pays the rest.

If you haven’t met your deductible: You pay the full allowed amount, $100.

Deductible

The amount you pay for covered health care services before your insurance plan starts to pay. With a $2,000 deductible, for example, you pay the first $2,000 of covered services yourself.

After you pay your deductible, you usually pay only a co payment or coinsurance for covered services. Your insurance company pays the rest.

Many plans pay for certain services, like a screening colonoscopy, before you’ve met your deductible.

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.

For more information, please read Your Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills (PDF).