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Importance of Knowing Network Hospitals Before Buying Health Insurance

By Juhi Walia
12 October 2022, 3:39 PM

Possessing health insurance offers you several benefits that are far beyond being solely financial. In case of unprecedented medical emergencies, a comprehensive health insurance plan effectively safeguards against heavy financial drainage and undue hassles. Nowadays, there are plenty of health insurance options available. You can compare health insurance plans online and grab the best deal. With the help of this, you can afford quality healthcare along with cashless benefits at network hospitals. 

What is a Network Hospital?

When you purchase a health insurance plan, you receive the list of network hospitals maintained by the concerned insurance company. You can also view this list of network hospitals on the official website of the insurance provider. Each of these hospitals remains tied up with the concerned health insurance company for providing a cashless hospitalisation facility to the policyholders. In case of hospitalisation, the insurance holder does not require running around for arranging finances for paying the hospital expenses. On the contrary, the insurance provider will directly settle the issue with the hospital authorities. 

Many people are still unaware of the concept of network hospitals. This is basically nothing but a list of hospitals spread across the country, with which the insurance company is tied up, for providing cashless services to the policyholder community. This makes it easier on the part of the customers, the concerned insurance company, and the hospital in question. 

How to Approach a Network Hospital?

All you need to do is to enter the hospital and duly approach the TPA assistance cell to settle your queries and fulfil your grievances. Ensure to carry all the relevant policy-related documents while leaving for the hospital. All these are necessary for official documentation and verification of your hospital visit. 

In case you have opted for cashless treatment, within the policy terms, you need to get admitted to one of the network hospitals and take the courses accordingly, without compromising your treatment and other associated medical assistance. 

Relevance of Cashless Treatment

A cashless hospitalisation facility allows insurance companies to save expenses through multiple discounted packages. It does not require the insured members to pay anything out of their own pockets, depending on the terms and conditions of the chosen health insurance plan. The Indian insurance market is currently spreading its wings gradually towards offering cashless hospitalisation facilities on an international scale too.

Availability of a cashless facility saves you a lot of trouble and tedious paperwork during hospitalisation, especially during emergencies. As the insurance provider directly settles the deal with the hospital authorities, you need not have to worry about arranging for finances during admission or claim settlement, nor filing for reimbursement. Therefore, it is very essential to know the list of all the network hospitals, especially the ones around your vicinity, so that you can avail of the facilities in the nick of time during crucial, critical emergencies without any delay.

Relevance of Network Hospitals

As all the standard insurance companies appoint a plethora of network hospitals, medical professionals, and clinics, they charge a comparatively lower fee from the insurance holders. In exchange for that, the hospitals receive an enhanced number of patients channelled to them through the network of the concerned insurance company. 

The health insurance companies are well versed with the type of ailments of the concerned policyholder and they are prone to turn back with an enormous health insurance claim, implying that they need to gear up for significant pay-outs. To make the situation favourable for them, they duly negotiate with the hospitals and in turn make each of them a part of their exclusive network. The enhanced the network, the better it turns out to be. 

All the hospitals within the network charge a lower fee from all the customers with a cashless health insurance facility of the concerned insurance company than those who do not possess.  These hospitals in turn benefit from a large number of policyholders who visit the hospitals seeking proper medical treatment. 

Importance of Knowing the Names of Network Hospitals

Till now, we have highlighted the importance and the working strategies of the network hospitals. But you can only avail of the facilities only if you know where to go. Most of the major hospitals are tied up with multiple health insurance companies at the same time. However, it is best to know all the relevant details beforehand, without leaving them to be discovered at the last moment. 

Once you are aware of the names of the network hospitals maintained by your chosen insurance company, you can easily rush to the nearest one, in case of critical emergency situations, rather than hunting for the right hospital and wasting valuable minutes. Every moment is of vital importance in case of medical emergencies. 

Moreover, when you approach a network hospital, you save time for paperwork. The bill gets automatically settled by the insurance company, depending on the terms and conditions of the chosen plan, including the health insurance riders. 

Conclusion

The above discussion has highlighted the importance of network hospitals, the way they work, and the relevance of knowing the names of those hospitals enlisted in the network, as maintained by the chosen insurance company. All insurance companies maintain a list of network hospitals and the more enriched the list, the better position it enjoys in the market. Network hospitals ensure the best treatment in the smoothest manner possible. Therefore, it is always advisable to wisely select the health insurance plan from a company that maintains an impressive list of hospitals within its network. 

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FAQs

1. Why do I need health insurance?

Health insurance acts as a protective coverage shield in case of medical emergencies.

2. Can I cover my family within one health insurance plan while living separately?

Yes, as this is in force throughout the country, you can avail of the benefits for yourself and your family while residing anywhere in India. 

3. Why is network hospital important?

The network hospitals are important because the policyholder does not need to rush to different hospitals or nursing homes in case of emergency for getting treatment covered by his/her insurance plan. 

4. What is a non-network hospital?

Any hospital that is not a part of the concerned insurance provider’s integrated network is considered a non-network hospital. 

5. Can I visit any hospital if I possess a health plan?

In case of cashless settlements, it is best to visit any network hospital. However, in case of reimbursement, you can visit any hospital. 

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