Notice to Patients of Noncovered Services

Q: If I provide a service that is not covered by a patient's health plan, am I required to give the patient a written description of the procedure and costs before I provide the service? Can I ask patients to sign a waiver as part of the sign-in process in case certain services turn out to be noncovered?

A: The law does not require you to provide a written description of the procedure and costs incurred for noncovered services. However, some commercial payers require in their contracts that physicians notify a patient in advance if services provided might not be covered.

Medicare also expects you to ask Medicare patients to sign an  Advance Beneficiary Notice , or liability waiver, when Medicare most likely won't cover a certain service you are providing. You should not use blanket waivers on a routine basis for noncovered services for Medicare patients. 

Last Updated On

August 27, 2021

Originally Published On

March 23, 2010

Related Content

Billing and Collections | Medicare