You've come to True North, you’ve paid for your visit, and now it’s time to submit your bill to your insurance company for reimbursement. We want to make this process as smooth as possible for you, so we’ve included a few tips we’ve picked up (from submitting them for ourselves) below.

1. Know your product. Look through your insurance coverage booklet and find out what your product covers. If you have questions about what True North services your insurance will cover and what percentage of the cost will be reimbursed, call the number on your insurance card and ask about your out-of-network benefits (this is what our services fall under). Document for yourself when you called, who you spoke with, and what they told you. This will back you up should you need to appeal a denial (and let’s hope you don’t have to!).

2. Submit your forms.
• Claim forms for your insurance product can generally be found online at your insurance company’s website or on our website. Try to use original claim forms because they scan better than photocopied versions.
• Fill out your forms in black ink.
• Use a separate form for each family member each time you submit a claim.
• Submit your bill from True North with your claim, as it has the information they need about the practitioner and your visit.
• Use a separate form for each health care bill, unless the bills all relate to treatment of the same illness. For example, if you have bills from True North, a lab and a pharmacy that are all for the same treatment of an injury, you can submit one claim form.
• Keep a copy of what you submit.
• In general, allow three weeks for a response from the insurance company.

Helpful hint: Fill out one form for each family member but leave out the social security number and your signature. Make copies of these then all you need to do on subsequent visits is to fill in the social, sign the form and send it. Omitting the social security number helps to keep your identity safe!

3. Be persistent. If your claim is denied, be persistent. You have the right to be covered by your insurance company for the health care that you and/or your employer have purchased. If you called beforehand and they said they would cover a service, cite when you called and with whom you spoke.

4. Advocate. As the consumer of an insurance product, you have the most control over changing what your insurance policy covers. We recommend that you write a letter to the president or general manager of your insurance carrier. If there’s something you need that they don’t cover, tell them why the modality you chose is important to your health. If you don’t tell them what you want, they won’t change their coverage policies—so be loud!

5. If you’re confused, ask us. We’re always happy to help with any questions about filling out a form and submitting your claim.

Please note: If your insurer sends True North a reimbursement check in error, we will return the check to the insurer and also copy you on the correspondence.