So many plans, so little time: Use this form to keep insurance information accessible to you and your staff.

Not only do physicians' offices need to keep track of the different benefit levels of different insurers, "in many markets, insurance carriers such as Blue Cross or Oxford offer several different plans. Each might have a different copay or use different labs," says Keith C. Borglum, a consultant with Professional Management and Marketing in Santa Rosa, CA. "Staffers can waste a tremendous amount of time trying to distinguish between plans and determine whom to call with claims inquiries and other questions."

Your employees will have the necessary data about copays, preauthorization, and reimbursement, as well as pertinent names and phone numbers, at their fingertips if they complete a copy of the accompanying form for each plan you contract with. The form, from Medical Practice Forms: Every Form You Need to Succeed, by Borglum and Diane M. Cate, can be amended to reflect each plan's idiosyncrasies. (To order, call 800-MED-SHOP. The authors can be reached at 707-546-4433.)

Keep copies of the forms in both the front and back office. That way billing clerks will have easy access to copay information, and employees who handle lab, specialist, and hospital referrals can determine which services require preauthorization.

Another time-saver: On the "Preauthorization No. 1 phone person" line, list the name and number of the plan's most accessible go-to person.

This form is available in:   To view the form in PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your system. If you do not have this free program, click on the icon below to link to the Adobe download page. To view the form in Word you must have Word 2000 or better. If you don't have this program you can download the free Microsoft Word 97/2000 Viewer. (You cannot edit an open document in Word Viewer. However, you can copy text to the Clipboard to paste it in other applications). Other forms and patient handouts are available in the Clip and Copy section of our Web site at www.memag.com .