:: Billing & Insurance

Billing Office 410 South Melrose Ave., Suite 104 Vista , CA 92081 Phone- 760-806-4355 Fax- 760-806-4363 Contact Name: Lesley Finney

Frequently Asked Questions

I have received two bills for the same test.   Am I being double billed?

If your services were performed at Tri City Medical Center, the Physicians fee is for the supervision, interpretation and consultation with your personal physician by the specialist. The specialist is an independent physician, not an employee of the hospital and therefore bills separately for his/her professional service.

The hospital bill is separate from the Physician's bill.

The total cost for many medical services is comprised of two fees. Each fee is billed separately by the provider of the services. The hospital's fee covers the cost of providing the technicians, equipment and supplies involved in performance of your service.

If your services were performed at Regents MRI or Regents Imaging; this is the only bill you will receive.

Why am I getting a bill from a doctor whom I have never met?

The doctor on our bill is a specialist in radiology, trained to read x-rays. Most of the time, the radiologist does not meet with the patient. Findings are reported to the patient’s primary doctor.

Why am I getting a bill when I have insurance?

You will receive a monthly statement showing the status of the bill until the bill is paid. It will list any insurance payments and your remaining balance. Examine your bill very closely. It will tell you whether your insurance has been billed. It will also list what insurance information we have for the patient. If we do not have the insurance information, the statement will have a request for the patient to call our billing office with that information.

There are different numbers on the bill. What do I owe?

The numbers in the column under "Diagnosis" are codes used for insurance purposes and are not dollar amounts. The amount of the bill is in the column beneath "Amount".

How much of this bill will my insurance cover?

North County Radiology has many contracts with various insurance companies. Please contact your insurance carrier to verify coverage of radiology services and your deductible amount.

Why do I have to give my insurance information again?

North County Radiology uses information obtained from the hospital. Sometimes the information given to us is incomplete or incorrect. In these instances, we rely on your cooperation in providing us your complete and correct insurance information.

How can I get the results of these tests?

Our office has your billing records only. For the results of any test you may have had done, you should contact the office of the Doctor who ordered the tests. They should have a copy of the report from the Radiologist.

Can you explain the insurance filing directions found on the back of the statement?

If you would like to send your information directly to your Insurance Company an Insurance Authorization Form has been provided to you on the back of the North County Radiology Statement-Insurance Copy. Please sign the Authorization, follow the instructions found below and on the statement back and mail this statement directly to your Insurance Provider.

The North County Radiology Insurance Filing Directions (also found on the back of the North County Radiology Statement- Insurance Copy) using the US POSTAL SERVICE are listed below.

If you require another statement for a second insurance company, please photocopy both sides of this statement.

NOTE: When filing secondary insurance, some carriers require a copy of the explanation of benefits (EOB) from the primary carrier.

You will receive a monthly statement showing the status of the bill until the bill is paid.

Managed Care

The rise of managed care in American health care began in 1973 with a revision of federal law that made it legal for insurance companies to finance and deliver health care. Managed care is now the dominant provider of health insurance in the United States. Unfortunately, the rise in health care costs has caused managed care companies to enact strict limits on what procedures they will cover. Congress is currently attempting to pass a patient-protection law to address this issue.

The two most common types of managed care organizations are HMO's and PPO's.

HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)

This type of plan contracts with medical groups to provide health care for their members with a fixed pre-paid, per-member fee.

This means that the medical group specifies the doctors whom it will pay to see you when you are ill.

PPO (Preferred Provider Organization)

This type of plan contracts with physicians to provide its members with medical services at a discounted rate.

This kind of insurance allows you to see doctors that are not part of HMO groups.

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