The air ambulance industry has an unfortunate reputation for balance billing. Balance billing is the amount a medical provider invoices the patient after insurance has processed and paid the claim at a reduced amount. These bills often surprise patients, costing thousands of dollars for transportation by air and ground.
CSI Aviation never engages in balance billing. We protect our patients medically & financially by working directly with the insurance companies to provide an in-network rate.
We maintain this policy by:
- Ensuring we are in-network with most major insurance companies whose coverage includes Air Ambulance Transports deemed Medically Necessary by the sending provider.
- Assisting the sending and/or receiving facility initiate Medicaid enrollment if the patient does not have insurance coverage.
- Providing fair and reasonable out-of-pocket rates for patients without insurance who do not qualify for Medicaid, with the ability to make payment arrangements.
- Working with insurance companies we aren’t contracted with to provide an in-network rate that protects the payer & patient from high dollar charges. After developing communication with a new payer, we will discuss a possible contract rate.
It’s important to note:
- For emergent cases, we will not delay the transport process and will reach out to the insurance company post-flight.
- Additionally, we never bill a facility post-fight for a patient not covered by health insurance for emergency services.
CSI’s experience working with insurance companies, hospitals and medical case managers enables us to be a resource and valued healthcare industry partner. We always provide insurance verification and pre-authorizations and continue to operate as an in-network provider supporting numerous health insurance plans. CSI’s professional oversight on every aspect of its medical flight operations makes it an industry preferred medical flight transport provider.