Contact your human resources department or member services at your insurance company and inform them that you have a new baby. Please try to do this within the first few days of the baby’s life. Most insurance companies require that this be done within the first 30 days of life. If you have an HMO, please ALSO CONTACT THE INSURANCE COMPANY yourself! This will get the ball rolling, in case you need a referral for a specialist.
Bring your own insurance card with you to the baby’s first visit. If there are 2 or more parents and one of you gave birth, bring that person’s card to the visit. The baby will be covered under this parent’s identification number until they receive an individual card or through the first 30 days of life. (Reality check: What will really happen is, we will submit the bill to the parent’s insurance and they will deny it. You will get a new insurance card within a few weeks, with a different number. PLEASE REMEMBER TO GIVE US THIS NEW NUMBER! Then, we will resubmit the newborn visit bill under the new number and it will be covered.)
Once you receive notification from your insurance company that your new dependent has been added to your insurance, present this information to the office immediately so that proper billing is completed. PLEASE BRING US THE NEW INSURANCE NUMBER AS SOON AS YOU GET IT!
You may receive a separate card with your child’s name. You will need to give this to the front desk so there is a current copy in your child’s chart.
If you have an HMO insurance you will likely need to select a Primary Care Physician (PCP) for your child. You may do this at the time of enrollment or you may contact member services and inform them that you wish to select our office as your child’s PCP. Failing to do so may result in a denial of your claims.