Third Party Collections program aims to help servicemembers Published Jan. 5, 2011 By 375th Medical Group SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- When visiting the 375th Medical Group, the front desk clerk asks for two items--your military identification card and your Other Health Insurance card. If you don't you have OHI card, you'll be given a DD Form 2560, Third Party Collection Form. The Third Party Collection Form is used to gather information on additional health insurance other than TRICARE you may be enrolled in or simply to validate that you do not have additional insurance. It is used to seek reimbursement for services including inpatient and outpatient care, clinic visits, tests ordered by an outside physician and filled at the military facility, radiology exams, laboratory tests, and pharmacy prescriptions. How does this benefit me? Our No. 1 commitment is to continue to provide service excellence and the highest quality healthcare to you. Many of the staff who provide or support your care are funded by the money earned through this program. In addition, your deductible gets paid, but not out of your pocket. Many health plans have a deductible that must be paid by the insured individual before any money is contributed by the insurance company. When the Scott Clinic bills your health plan, the company first subtracts the amount of the deductible before any dollars are reimbursed to the clinic. For patients who have an annual deductible and require future care in a civilian facility, this represents significant savings. For example, pretend you have a health insurance policy with a $250 deductible for outpatient care and that you have a visit to the Scott Clinic which generates a bill for $230 worth of services. The Clinic will bill your insurance company for the $230. The insurance company would not pay, but would credit that $230 towards your deductible. However, at some future time when you have to go downtown for chiropractic care, or another service the clinic doesn't provide, you would only owe the remaining $20 of your $250 deductible before your insurance would "kick-in." What does all of this mean to you? According to a 2009 study by America's Health Insurance Plans, the average American family spends $6,328 per year for health insurance. This means that if you have other health insurance, you or an employer has already paid an insurance company thousands of dollars to cover your healthcare expenses. Since the insurance company would have to pay if you received care from a civilian provider, Congress requires the Department of Defense to bill insurance companies for care provided in Military Treatment Facilities. To facilitate this billing, all beneficiaries, excluding Active Duty members, are required to have a current DD Form 2569 on file in their medical record. At the start of each visit, you will be asked to submit, or confirm, your benefit information. This is done initially by completing the DD Form 2569 and being issued the yellow OHI card, which is good for one year. After that year, the DD Form 2569 must be revalidated and a new OHI card issued. Will I get billed? You may wonder if your health benefit plan will bill you, but you will not be billed. The obligation to pay medical costs applies only to your insurance company. We are entitled to receive the same payment from third party payers that any other medical care provider would receive. Your insurance company will pay money directly to us and you will not be billed for charges not covered by your insurer. Typically the insurance company sends you a written Explanation of Benefits. This form explains how much was paid to us and what deductibles or co-payments were subtracted from the claim we filed. This is not a bill; it is an explanation for your personal records. What can I do to help? Support our technicians at the front desk. This means filling out a new DD Form 2569 each year, or validating the one on file is still correct at each visit. Even if you don't have any additional insurance the signed form in your record stating that there is no other insurance is proof that we inquired. You can expedite completing the form by bringing your insurance card with you. If you have any questions about the Third Party Collection Program, or would like to submit your health benefit plan information directly to us, contact our Third Party Collection office at 256-7249. We are located in the basement of the Clinic, room CB-23.