NEDA TOOLKIT for Parents
Sample Letter #3
Letter to a managed care plan to seek reimbursement for services that the patient received when time was insuffi
cient to obtain pre-authorization because of the serious nature of the illness and the need to deal with it urgently.
Remember: you need to research the professionals available through your plan and local support systems. In this
case, after contacting their local association for eating disorders experts, the family that created this letter realized
that no qualified medical experts were in their area to diagnose and make recommendations for their child. Keep
in mind that you need to seek a qualified expert and not a world-famous expert. Make sure you provide very
specific information from your research.
Outcome Reimbursement was provided for the evaluating/treating psychiatrist visits and medications. Further research and
documentation was required to seek reimbursement for the treatment facility portion.
DATE To: Get the name of a person to direct a letter to
INS. CO. NAME & ADDRESS
From: YOUR NAME & ADDRESS
Re: PATIENT’S NAME
DOB (Date of Birth)
Insurance ID#
Case #
Dear [insert name]:
My [son/daughter] has been under treatment for [name the eating disorder and any applicable co-existing
condition] since [month/year]. [He/she] was first seen at the college health clinic at [UNIVERSITY NAME] and then
referred for counseling that was arranged through [INS. CO.]. At the end of the semester I met with my [son/
daughter] and [his/her] therapist to make plans for treatment over the summer. At that time, residential treatment
was advised, which became a serious concern for us. We then sought the opinion of a qualified expert about this
advice. I first spoke to [PATIENT NAME’S] primary physician and then contacted the local eating disorders support
group. No qualified expert emerged quickly from the community of our [INS. CO.] network providers. In my
research to identify someone experienced in eating disorder evaluation and treatment, I discovered that [insert
Dr.NAME at HOSPITAL in LOCATION] was the appropriate person to contact to expedite plans for our child. Dr.
[NAME] was willing to see [him/her] immediately, so we made those arrangements.
As you can imagine, this was all very stressful for the entire family. Since continuity of care was imperative, we
went ahead with the process and lost sight of the preapproval needed from [INS. CO.]. I am enclosing the bills we
paid for those initial visits for reimbursement. [PATIENT NAME] was consequently placed in a residential setting in
the [LOCATION] area and continues to see Dr. [NAME] through arrangements made by [INS. CO.].
Also, at the beginning of [his/her] placement, some confusion existed about medications necessary for [PATIENT
NAME] during this difficult/acute care period. At one point payment for one of [his/her] medications was denied
even though the treatment team recommended it, and it was prescribed by [his/her] primary care physician,
Dr. [NAME]. I spoke to a [INS. CO.] employee [insert name] at [PHONE #] to rectify the situation; however, I felt
it was a little too late to meet my timeframe for visiting [PATIENT NAME], so I paid for the Rx myself and want
reimbursement at this time. If you have any questions, please speak to [employee name].
Thank you in advance for your cooperation. I’d be happy to answer any further questions and can be reached at:
[PHONE] Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
Page | 56