What Is a Confirmation Call?
Most insurance companies require medical supply providers to contact customers before their next orders are shipped out. 180 Medical makes this a convenient and easy process for our customers — no need for you to have to remember to call in and ask when you’re ready for more.
Typically, we make a confirmation call about 7 to 10 days before your regularly scheduled order is set to ship from our warehouse to allow us plenty of time to reach a customer. This is all done to ensure that we follow and meet all insurance requirements, as well as making sure that our customers have the right amount of supplies. We don’t want you to run out of your necessary medical supplies, but we also don’t want to ship more than you need so you don’t build up too much of an overstock.
What Information is Needed?
During the call, we typically need a few bits of information on record, as required by one’s insurance guidelines. Usually, these are the basic questions, although this will vary depending upon one’s insurance requirements:
- Are you ready for your next regularly scheduled order?
- How many supplies (catheters, lubricant packets, other urological supply accessories, ostomy pouches, and accessories, etc.) do you have left on hand from your last orders?
- If you have Medicare or a Medicare replacement policy, you may also be asked if you have a Home Health nurse or physical therapist coming to your home, just to ensure there are no billing conflicts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Confirmation Calls
Q: What other options do I have if I prefer not to receive phone calls?
A: We also have an email confirmation option to confirm your regular orders. If this would be preferable, please let us know so that we can adjust your account accordingly.
Q: What happens if 180 Medical cannot reach me to confirm my order?
A: We will make several attempts to confirm your order via phone, email (if an email address has been provided), and even mail a letter if we are unable to reach you. Unfortunately, if we are not able to confirm your order, we are not able to ship your supplies out. This is why it is always important to keep us updated on changes of address, phone number, or any extended travel plans.
Q: Why do you need to know if I am receiving Home Health?
A: For those who have Medicare or a Medicare replacement policy, we ask this information to make sure there will be no billing conflicts so that your insurance does not get over-billed. If your home health agency bills through Medicare, they are required to supply your catheters or other necessary medical supplies until their services end. Once their services have completed, they must send a discharge summary to us. From there, we can resume supplying.
Q: My order requirements do not vary from month to month. Can I just sign a paper to tell you to ship these every month?
A: We understand regular confirmation of your supplies may seem unnecessary, but we do this to follow insurance guidelines to the letter. For supplies of this type which are provided on a recurring basis, billing must be based on prospective rather than retrospective use, so we must contact you prior to refilling your order and not automatically ship on a pre-determined agreement, even if you authorize it.
If you have any other questions, concerns, or changes to make to your account, contact our team of friendly Confirmation Specialists at 1-877-688-2729.
