Services (individuals & employees) - HealthCare Advocates, Inc.

HealthCare Advocates' membership entitles you, or your employees, to access to all the services listed below:

• Physician Referral Service
• Insurance Disputes Services (fight for payment - insurance appeals & grievances )
• Medical Bill Auditing and Disputes Service
• Cost Navigator (lower cost procedures)
• Rx Price Comparison
• Medical Research
• Prescription, Dental and Vision Plans
• The Health Counselor (a life coach for your medical needs)
• Bills And Forms Consolidation Services
• Elder Care Services
• Nursing Home, Assisted Living & Hospice Services
• Health Plan Review & Assessment
• Selecting A Health Plan Booklet
• Preparing For Your Hospitalization Booklet
• There are more services listed for members in the "members area"

Healthcare isn't as simple as it used to be. And getting the best care is getting more difficult. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend who knows the ins and outs of the healthcare system? When you're a member of HealthCare Advocates, you do.

HealthCare Advocates brings together the talents of doctors, nurses, lawyers, insurance specialists, social workers and healthcare policy and ethics professionals to make sure members get the best healthcare possible. Working as a team, HealthCare Advocates' professionals see to it that your health insurance works the way it's supposed to. We'll work closely with you and your healthcare insurance company to resolve issues quickly. What's more, you'll be able to tap into the wealth of knowledge and experience of the HealthCare Advocates group through several services offered as part of HealthCare Advocates' membership.

As a member, whenever you or your loved ones need help, HealthCare Advocates will be there for you. When you have medical questions, insurance disputes, questions about coverage, even if you've been denied access for a certain medical procedure, HealthCare Advocates can help. We've combined the strengths of our experts to offer members such valuable services as medical research, insurance dispute resolution, bills and forms consolidation services, health counselors and more.

We've also put together a unique package of information that covers everything from choosing the best healthcare plan to preparing for your hospitalization to your rights as a patient. And we've negotiated special discounts for our members to receive health-related books and other medical publications.

It's all here. One source for all the healthcare advice and information you need. At HealthCare Advocates, we'll see to it that you and your loved ones get the very best healthcare.

Good healthcare starts with a good physician. But where do patients find physicians? Often they will seek the advice of friends, look in the Yellow Pages or possibly use a hospitals physician referral service. While these methods are a good first step, HealthCare Advocates wants to help patients find the physicians who specialize in treating the patient's specific ailment(s). To accomplish this, HealthCare Advocates has created a physician listing which includes specific information on physicians. It is HealthCare Advocates' hope that with more specific information, members will be able to find the best physician(s) for their needs.

Click here to read about the appeals process and why it is important

If you've ever been:
     • denied coverage or payment
     • had a low reimbursement (UCR - usual and customary rate)
     • had your policy rescinded
     • denied access to a specialist
     • been denied a medical procedure
     • COBRA issues
by your health insurance, you need HealthCare Advocates Insurance Disputes Service - we fix insurance denials. Our team of professionals will work on your behalf to help you get the care you require. And if you're covered by an HMO, PPO, traditional indemnity plan, Medicare or MediGap, we'll also be there for you to handle problems of non-payment, being dropped from your health plan, outstanding charges, bills that were incorrectly sent to you, and charges that should never have been made.

Patients are often faced with high medical bills when uninsured or they go out-of-network. When faced with high medical bills, HealthCare Advocates helps by auditing, disputing and re-pricing the medical bill to proper charges prior to, or after care has been rendered. Just like an accountant reviews a company's bills for proper charges, HealthCare Advocates reviews your medical bills for proper charges. HealthCare Advocates may even arrange financing if needed.*

Doctors may charge any fee they want for a service. Hospitals in Manhattan will charge more than hospitals outside Manhattan. The question is, how do you (the patient) find a quality doctor at an acceptable price?

HealthCare Advocates' Cost Navigator uses data analytics to identify high quality doctors and hospitals that perform services at acceptable prices. It is true, the cheapest isn't always the best. But data analytics do effectively identify high quality doctors that offer better prices:

If you are on Medicare, or your insurance has limits on the maximum they will allow for medications (i.e. $1,500 max. coverage for prescription per year) then HealthCare Advocates might be able to help. HealthCare Advocates will research your medications and locate the most cost effective place to purchase the medications. The cash saving to you can be large so let HealthCare Advocates help you to find the most cost effective place to purchase your medications.

When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a disease or illness, it seems you can't get enough information. With just one call to HealthCare Advocates, we'll research the disease for you, investigate treatment options, provide lists of doctors and medical facilities who specialize in such treatment and identify support groups. We'll do as much research as you need so that you can make informed decisions about your next steps to recovery.

If you want to save money on prescriptions, dental or vision care, these plans are for you. A person's average savings is 10% to 30% off the price of prescription drugs; 35% off on dental costs; 20% to 60% off eye wear and 20% off on contact lenses. Most importantly, there are no forms. Simply show your card to the physician or pharmacy and they will automatically deduct your savings.

As a member, you'll have access to advice through the Health Counselor. Your counselor can help you with everything from understanding how your insurance works, to choosing a doctor, to what to do if you have a problem. It can even answer questions like, what is a defined contribution plan? Your counselor can guide you through all parts of the healthcare system and point you in the right direction when you have questions.

· Click here for an example of how hospital bills are inaccurate.

HealthCare Advocates Bills and Forms Consolidation Services takes the hassle out of paying your medical bills. We'll sort through bills, figure out what's covered by insurance and return to you a simple, easy to understand statement that clearly tells you what you owe. Whether you are covered under an HMO, traditional indemnity plan, Medicare or MediGap, HealthCare Advocates has the expertise to completely understand your situation. And if during the review process they find money is owed to you, we'll even submit a claim on your behalf. HealthCare Advocates Bills and Forms Consolidation ensures you receive the full benefit of your insurance and simplifies matters.

Our parents are aging causing new issues to face. These things include selecting an assisted living facility, transitioning from a rehabilitation setting to home, paying for nursing care, placement in a nursing home, protecting assets and much more. HealthCare Advocates helps our members navigate these issues maximizing care and minimizing the out-of-pocket expenses.

As our loved ones age we often find the need for a nursing home, assisted living facility or even hospice care. The questions are, which facilities are best? How can you pay for an assisted living facility? And what does Medicare cover? HealthCare Advocates can help you select a facility and finds ways to pay for it.

Each year health plans change benefits and peoples' medical needs change. HealthCare Advocates reviews and assess your needs and your health plan to ensure proper coverage if anything was to happen to you or your loved ones.

Original Amount Due	Cost Reduced To	Savings (fee not incl.)
$6,451	$0	$6,451
$12,000	$8,000	$4,000
$33,817	$2,800	$31,017
$200,000	$20,000	$180,000

Provider	Doctor Quality	Cost (for same procedure)
Doctor #1	High	$8,000
Doctor #2	High	$12,000