Subject	Trends
Source	AAOMS Newsletter
Publication	Coding Corner Sept/Oct. 2009
Effective Date	Sep 1, 2009
Publish Date	Sep 1, 2009

Trends

A recent trend has been the increasing incidence of certain carriers claiming to always be the primary insurer. Typically, when a claim is submitted to the primary payer (again, determined by contacting each payer as well as by the patient's diagnosis and/or the services rendered) and a balance remains, it can then be submitted to the secondary carrier, assuming all contractual obligations of the primary payer have been met including posting of write offs prior to submitting to the secondary plan. However, when the two plans do not coordinate, and both pay as if they are the primary payer, a provider can be left to handle an overpayment. When issuing the refund to the secondary payer it is important to note in writing the contractual obligation with the primary payer and thus the reason for the refund.