SCHOOL BASED HEALTH CENTER BILLING

Since 2003, the School Based Health Center has been able to bill health insurance plans for reimbursement for services provided by our nurse practitioners. Between 55- 65% of our families have consistently signed up for "expanded" medical services year to year. Having acute care available at school saves parents time away from work and students from missing time at school. If families are unable to pay for services, arrangements can be made by contacting Rebecca Reynolds, Health Center Director.

How does billing work?

The billing for visits with the nurse practitioners works just like it does when you take your child to see your primary care provider. When your child is seen, a billing encounter form is completed. The form is then sent to MaineGeneral Health Medical Center Billing office, which does the billing for our health center.MaineGeneral Medical Center has partnered with Maranacook since the inception of the student health center to provide medical oversight of services. The Maranacook Student Health Center is considered an extension of MaineGeneral Medical Center. Through this partnership/collaboration, MaineGeneral will provide the expanded medical services portion of our services including the nurse practitioners, billing services, and utilization of the Electronic Medical Record. The service your child receives will follow the same billing process, including co-pay, deductibles, etc. as they would when you see your Primary Care Physician/Pediatrician. As a courtesy, the co-pay will be billed to parents, not collected at the student health center. As a reminder, the bill will come from MaineGeneral Medical Center and not Maranacook Student Health Center.

Will I get a bill for services provided at the Student Health Center?

Depending on your health insurance plan, you may receive a bill for part of the cost of the visit if your health plan doesn’t provide 100% coverage including the co-pay (e.g. your health plan has a deductible or you pay a small percentage for covered services over and above a co-pay).

How do you determine the cost of each visit?

The cost per visit is based on time spent with your child and the complexity of the visit. The student health center uses the same fee scale as MaineGeneral Health Provider Practices use in their practices (e.g. Kennebec Pediatrics, Winthrop Pediatrics, and the Winthrop Health Center ).

If my child is seen at the School Based Health Center, how will my child's provider know what care was provided?

Health Center staff will communicate with the student’s primary care provider (PCP) either via the student’s electronic medical record, telephone or fax to enhance continuity of care. This includes communication when a new diagnosis is made, a current medication is discontinued or changed, a new med is prescribed, or if follow-up care with the PCP is recommended.