Allowed Amount
The maximum amount an insurer will pay for a covered medical service or treatment. If there is a remainder still owed, you’ll need to pay the difference.
Amounts Generally Billed (AGB)
AGB refers to a method of reviewing past insurance claim payments and dividing by total billed claim amounts. The AGB number is used to calculate total financial responsibility thresholds for patients that are eligible for financial assistance. The AGB is recalculated every year.
Co-Insurance
The percentage you pay after an insurance company pays its agreed-upon percentage; e.g., your plan may cover 80% and you would pay the remaining 20%.
Contracted Collection Agency
A contracted outside agency (vendor) providing debt collection services on behalf of Parkview.
Co-payment/Co-Pay
A dollar amount specified by your insurance plan that you pay for a medical visit. You may have a co-pay for a doctor visit or for specific services rendered at a hospital, such as emergency services.
Coordination of Benefits
A method of determining which insurance is to be billed first when a patient is covered by more than one insurance. This helps ensure that members covered by more than one plan will receive the benefits they are entitled to while avoiding overpayment by either plan and keeping premiums at a minimum.
CPT Code
A CPT (Current Procedural Technology) code utilizes a standardized coding system to communicate to an insurance company which specific services were provided to a patient.
Deductible
The amount you need to pay before an insurance company begins to pay for services. This amount resets at the beginning of a new benefit period, usually yearly.
Denial
A denial occurs when an insurance company refuses to pay for healthcare services that were provided to you by a licensed health care professional or facility.
Diagnosis Code
A system of classifying the medical condition of the patient at the time of the service, which is produced using the medical documentation recorded at the time of service. This is added to the claim to help the insurance company understand the reason for the specific treatment.
Due Upon Receipt
Indicates that you need to pay the bill as soon as possible after you receive your billing statement. The expectation is that you will pay the entire balance before the next statement is mailed unless you choose to contact Parkview to explore other payment options.
Eligible patient(s)
Parkview patients that meet certain published eligibility requirements for financial assistance.
Emergency/Walk-In Services
Services that are provided in a hospital emergency room or in a hospital urgent care setting.
Experimental or Not Medically Necessary
Experimental or investigational medical treatment or procedures are those not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and not considered to be a standard of care.
Guarantor
The person or group that assumes the responsibility of payment for a debt owed to Parkview.
HIPAA/Privacy
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law designed to protect the patient's private health information.
In-Network
A group of healthcare providers contracted with an insurance company offering services to plan members for specific pre-negotiated rates.
Inpatient Services
The services you received while you were admitted to the hospital.
Non-Covered Services
Charges for services and supplies that are not covered under a health plan, such as acupuncture, weight loss surgery or marriage counseling.
Observation Services/Status
Hospital outpatient services provided to help the doctor decide if a patient needs to be formally admitted to the hospital. Your admission status is determined by your physician when he or she writes the orders for admission. If you’re hospitalized, you’re assigned to either inpatient or observation status. Observation status occurs when you are not sick enough for inpatient admission but are too sick to get care at your doctor’s office.
Out-of-Network
Healthcare providers outside of an established network.
Out-of-Pocket
The cost you would need to pay depending upon your plan. Costs vary by plan and there’s usually a maximum out of pocket (MOOP) cost.
Outpatient Surgery
Select surgical services and invasive diagnostic procedures provided on an outpatient basis.
Primary and Secondary Insurances
When a patient is covered by more than one insurance plan, one insurer will become the primary carrier, and all others will be considered secondary and tertiary carriers that will help cover remaining costs not covered by your primary insurer.
Professional Services
The services most frequently performed at doctors' offices.
Self-Pay Balance
The portion of a patient's bill that the guarantor is legally responsible for paying.
Subrogate
Subrogation occurs when an insurance company pays a claim but reserves the right to pursue another party to recover payment. This generally occurs when medical services were provided as a result of an accidental injury.