“Healthcare billing may always be needlessly complicated, but I can make it uncomplicated for the people we’re treating.”
Chuck Bucy has been around healthcare his entire life. His mother was a nurse, and once he got to college he studied Healthcare Administration.
“While my skills aren’t on-the-ground clinical, I can help people in my own way,” says Chuck, who recently joined Local Infusion as Reimbursement Manager after almost seven years in oncology: first at MD Anderson Cancer Center, then at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
There are a few ways Chuck describes his role — liaison being one of them. “I like to see myself as the liaison between patients, insurance companies, and providers because all these systems work together and need data.”
He also likes to think of himself as a translator who can “understand language and communicate between different entities.” On the one hand, this means helping patients understand the bills their insurance companies send to them. And on the other hand, helping the organization understand why an insurance company may have denied a claim.
Chuck also sees his role as akin to a patient advocate. “We’re giving infusion drugs for many rare diseases, so there’s a lot of gray area,” he explains. “Patients can’t just call their health insurance company and say…are you going to pay for this? It’s important for Local Infusion to have someone like me who will advocate for patients and fight, because these drugs have the potential to dramatically improve their well-being. And I don’t take denials. We figure it out.”
Below, Chuck explains how his work as a liaison-translator-patient advocate comes to life on a daily basis.
Estimating costs before treatment begins
“For Local Infusion, financial transparency plays a role from the beginning when you’re receiving a referral. We can calculate and verify with your insurance company to accurately estimate how much your infusion will cost. A lot of other places don’t offer that service and will just show the patient an inflated amount because they don’t want to do the legwork and determine the benefits.”
Providing context alongside your bill rather than just sending it out
“We can reach out to a patient with more clarity on why they have a certain charge on their account (like if they didn’t meet their deductible, for example). In this way, we’re explaining what a bill means rather than just sending it to them.”
Making ourselves available to answer billing questions via text or phone
“We don’t just send out a bill – we’ll also reach out to the patient and let them know that if they have any questions, they can text or call me. Because otherwise, the patient is going to try and call their insurance company and likely have to sit on hold for hours only to not get the answers they want. If a patient calls Local Infusion, I’m the one who answers. And I will personally look into why a bill may be so high or why a claim may have been denied. It’s not uncommon at the end of a call for the patient to say to me…thank you, I’ve called so many people and couldn’t get an answer.”
The bottom line
“The ‘No Surprises Act,’ which was passed in 2022, enables patients to have more rights when it comes to healthcare. Previously, for example, you wouldn’t know if a provider was in-network or if a service was going to be billed at an exorbitant price. And if you would ask, you’d probably be told that they didn’t have that information available so you’d find out when you get your bill. That has all changed, but in many ways, Local Infusion is exceeding the requirements of this legislation. We’re determined to give patients the clearest picture possible of how much their treatment is going to cost. Healthcare billing may always be needlessly complicated, but I can make it uncomplicated for the people we’re treating.”
Local Infusion Editorial : Aug 20, 2024 9:00:07 AM
