UnitedHealthcare: Checking Eligibility and Benefits

The easiest and fastest way to check a patient's status and eligibility for coverage of a service is to use Availity.com, or to contact UHC at www.unitedhealthcareonline.com and in the upper left-hand corner, click on Patient Eligibility and Benefits or call (877) 842-3210. Waiting times for a representative may vary based on the time of the day and number of callers.

In order to make this process ultra-efficient, your office may wish to use a practice management system. Some practice management systems, such as athenahealth, will check patient eligibility automatically in advance of the visit based on your patient schedule. Check into whether your system has that capability.

The Medical Policies outlines many of services and courses of treatment that you may have questions about. However, always bear in mind that UHC's medical policies may not necessarily be "baked into" a patient's benefit plan. Reminding a patient that his or her benefits package comes from what is offered by the employer may also help patients be aware that what is covered by a benefits package is decided at the place of employment - not by the physician or insurance company.