Executive Director of Operations Colleen Pyra
By Angel MedFlight Contributor
It’s part of the endgame in Angel MedFlight’s One Touch Promise®. The patient has been successfully transported by one of our medically dedicated jets and now it’s time to process the insurance claim. To continue advocating for the patient. To make sure he or she gets all the benefits allowed to him. It is the Angel MedFlight claims department that goes to bat for the patient and it’s another example of what makes our air ambulance service stand out from the others.
Colleen Pyra heads the company’s claims team and says the department ‘s focus remains on the patient, but with a twist. The claims department assures that revenue is coming in, giving us the ability to continuously help more patients down the road. “When a medical transport is completed and we receive all the necessary documentation, we’re then able to send a thorough claim packet to the insurance company,” says Pyra. From that point the Angel MedFlight claims department advocates on behalf of the patient, sometimes daily, just to assure that the claim is processing in an expedited fashion.
Pyra says, “Our end goal in the claims department is to get our claims paid in full, which ultimately means were are able to refund the patient’s retainer for their flight.”
The Angel MedFlight claims and legal department have a very close relationship, working practically hand-in-hand every single day. “When we get in a bind or an insurance company is telling us something that we know is not entirely true, legal can give us the background and the foundation to be able to best advocate on behalf of that patient and of the claim.”
Our One Touch Promise® means we are handling every step of the process, so you can focus your attention on your patient, on your loved one. Medical transport is often a difficult time for a family so it’s our claims department that tackles the chore of dealing with the insurance companies. “They are not in the business of paying claims. They are out to find every reason why our claims should not be paid. And we are out to find EVERY reason why our claims should be,” says Pyra.
Pyra says those two mindsets come to a head at some point and that’s where we are sticking to our guns, we are asking good questions and, “we are being good stewards of our mission and of the law…that’s how we are ultimately able to win out.”
Yes, there are other air ambulance companies that have an in-house claims department but Pyra says, “what’s different about us is the way we work alongside legal and the way we actually advocate on behalf of the claim. You’re going to get a ‘no’ from insurance companies on pretty much every claim at some point. And you must have the team and support behind you that know enough about the game that they’re going to play so that they can direct you…on how you navigate that.”
A great success on the job for members of our claims department is when we end up getting our full-billed charges recovered from the insurance company. Pyra says there’s no better feeling than calling a family and telling them they are going to get their retainer back.
“Ultimately our goal is to recover our costs, while continuously providing the best service in the industry, ” says Pyra. “But the mentality that I try to instill in the department really is first and foremost you are advocating on behalf of that claim because we have a patient to support.”
That’s our Angel MedFlight claims department. Supporting patients and helping to make sure every detail is handled from start to finish.
