• Aetna
  
• Asuris (Excludes BHP and Healty Opt)
  
• Community Health Plan of WA
  
• First Choice Health Network
  
• Group Health Cooperative
  
• Indian Health
  
• Molina Health Care
  
• One Healthplan/Great West
  
• PHCO
  
• Premera Blue Cross
  
• Regence Blue Shield
  
• Spokane Community Care
  
• Sterling-Supplement to Medicare
  
• Uniform Medical Plan
  
• United Healthcare
  
• Welfare: Washington
  

Credit Policy

The Physicians & Staff of Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists are committed to providing quality care to our patients, while helping to control the rising cost of medical care. In order to preserve our equitable fees, the following Credit Policy has been established.

For Physician Professional Fees
If the patient does not have insurance or insurance does not cover the procedure:

1. Payment in full is required at the time of service by cash, check or credit card.
   
2. For elective surgical procedures, the surgeon’s, Anesthesiologists’, Nurse Anesthetist’s fee and if required, assistant surgeon’s fees are to be paid prior to the procedure. Requests for payment plan arrangements must be made with the billing department prior to the date of surgery.
   
3. Please note that you will also receive a bill from NWOS for Anesthesiology services provided by our antesthesiologist and the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) if your surgery is performed in our outpatient surgery center.

For The Orthopaedic Surgery Center (TOSC) Facility Fee

1. Payment in full one week prior to the scheduled surgery by cash, check or credit card. A pre-payment discount will apply.
   

If the patient has insurance coverage:
For office visits:

1. Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists will submit an itemized bill to any third party carrier as long as we are provided with adequate insurance information to do so. We do this as a courtesy to our patients and ask that any payment made by the insurance carrier directly to our patient be endorsed to Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists and forwarded with a copy of the explanation of benefits. This helps our staff monitor and resubmit services that are incorrectly paid or get missed completely in the claims process.
   
2. All co-pays are due at the time of service. We will bill the patient for any balances that the carrier indicates are “patient responsibility”. Payment for these balances is due within thirty days of the receipt of a billing statement from Northwest Orthopaedic & Specialists. If payment arrangements need to be made, the patient may contact our billing department.
   
3. If the patient is covered by an insurance company with whom we do not have a contract with, 50% of the bill is due at the time of service, with the balance due within thirty days of payment from the insurance company.
   
4. Patients covered under the State Medical Assistance Administration must have a current coupon at the time of service.
   
5. Patients covered by Labor & Industries must supply claim numbers, and the insurance company’s name and address if it is a self-insured company.
   

For surgeries (both professional fees and TOSC facility fees):

1. All insurance companies will be called to verify coverage, and pre-admission requirements, deductibles and co-pays when the surgery is scheduled.