Pay Online: Click Here to access Patient Gateway
Phone #: 508-881-3029
Hours: M-F, 8am-4pm
To read CRMA’s Disclosures regarding Surprise Billing, CLICK HERE
Patient Billing is complicated and frustrating. We can help!
CRMA interacts with dozens of insurance companies and hundreds of insurance plans. The terminology and payment rules are not consistent, even among plans from the same insurance company. When patients have questions about their bill, it can be difficult to find someone who can give you “straight answers”. Most physicians and office staff aren’t trained to help such patients and don’t have access to the information needed to help resolve. The insurance company’s customer service department often isn’t much better.
When you’re confused, call us.
Whenever you have a question about a bill, please CALL OUR BILLING OFFICE! Even if you know the bill is erroneous, unless you call and speak to one of our billing staff, the error will likely not resolve itself. If you wait too long to call, then the claim may pass appeal deadlines imposed by the insurance company and become unfixable.
Pay Online using Patient Gateway.
The best way to pay your CRMA bill is online. You can access your CRMA claims by logging into your Patient Gateway account. You will see a list of all your account activity and outstanding balances. You can even sign up for paperless billing if you prefer. Click here to access or sign up for Patient Gateway.
Billing FAQ:
1. What plans does CRMA take? CRMA accepts all major insurance plans:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Harvard Pilgrim
- Tufts
- Cigna
- Aetna
- United
- Fallon
- Unicare/GIC
- Medicare
- ALLways Health Partners
Most CRMA physicians do not accept new Masshealth patients, or patients with Masshealth-related plans or those purchased on the Connector. Even if they “accept” an insurance plan, they may not be accepting new Patients for that plan.
Always confirm insurance when making appointments. And if your insurance changes, please remember to tell your physician office BEFORE your appointment so they have time to electronically verify your eligibility.
2. What if I have questions about my bill?
Please call our billing office. Don’t call your physician office or your insurance company. Our billing staff may ask you to reach out to them, but your starting point should be the CRMA billing office.
3. How come I have such a big balance? What can I do to minimize copays and deductibles? Click here to read a detailed article on this subject.
4. What if I can’t afford my CRMA bill?
Please call our billing office. The first step is to confirm your insurance paid correctly, or that we billed the correct insurance in the first place. Most large patient balances are due to CRMA having the wrong insurance on file. If you’re having trouble paying your copay or deductible, we have less flexibility with that but patients who can demonstrate financial need are almost always eligible for substantial discounts.
5. Can I find out ahead of time how much a visit or procedure will cost?
It’s almost impossible to get a precise estimate. How much CRMA charges plays no role in adjudicating how we are paid by insurance companies. Since almost all patients have 3 rd party insurance, the only way to know how much might track to your copay or deductible is to know the “allowed amount” and adjudication formula used by the insurance company. None of our staff, including our billers, have access to that information. You would need to call your insurance company to get an estimate and they would need a list of “procedure codes” that might be billed during your encounter. Sometimes we can provide that information ahead of time; sometimes we wouldn’t know until the actual visit, particularly for tests that might be ordered as a result of your visit. If you’re concerned about costs tracking to your deductible, please speak to your provider BEFORE the visit or procedure so they can make best efforts to address your concerns.
6. Do you use a collection agency?
Yes, though only after mailing multiple statements and making multiple phone calls. If you never respond, our only recourse is to forward your account to a collection agency.
7. How come I received a bill for my “free” annual physical?
Federal regulations designate certain “wellness” visits and tests to be “at no cost to the patient”, i.e. no copay or deductible. Annual physicals are included in that list, as well as screening mammograms and colonoscopies. Unfortunately, the same does not apply for tests and procedures commonly associated with an annual wellness visit. Nor does it apply for tests done for “diagnostic” reasons, i.e. you have symptoms. For example, almost all labs ordered as part of a physical will track to your deductible. Same with common office procedures such as EKGs. If you’re concerned about your deductible, PLEASE INFORM YOUR PHYSICIAN DURING YOUR VISIT! Your physician can then have an informed discussion about the pros/cons of skipping certain tests that may incur a cost to you.
8. I have questions about a bill for tests ordered by CRMA but performed by another provider (ex. Quest labs, Radiologist interpretation)?
These are very difficult cases to address. The first problem is CRMA isn’t the provider of service and thus doesn’t have access to the detailed claim information from the provider or the insurance company. Thus it isn’t possible for us to figure out how you received a bill and whether it can/should be rebilled. Many times they simply have the wrong insurance information and a simple phone call from you can correct it and allow them to rebill. Second, we aren’t empowered to discount or write off balances because we aren’t the providers. These providers work “with” CRMA, not “for” CRMA. Our advice is to first call the billing office for the provider in question. If that doesn’t resolve, then call your insurance company. If that doesn’t resolve, then call the office of the “ordering physician” for the service in question. Please be prepared to mail or fax copies of your bill as well as the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company. We may be able to reach out to our administrative contacts at these providers to help facilitate resolution. Don’t call the CRMA Billing office; our billers won’t have access to your claim information, nor do they have relationships with any of these providers.
