Working With Your Insurance | Westside Head & Neck

Health insurance can seem quite confusing – and different plan options have different rules and regulations depending on which state you live. It is ultimately up to you, the patient, to understand the details of your plan’s terms, benefits and coverage options in order to avoid any unexpected costs and hassles.

Working With Your Insurance Please call our office and ask for our tax identification number. We recommend that you call your insurance provider, and using our tax ID number ask your insurance provider if we are:

In your network
Covered by your specific coverage plan

Please Note:
Westside Head & Neck accepts many major Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans, however, even if our doctors are covered by your insurance company, we may not be in your specific network, and/or covered by your specific coverage plan. We highly recommend you understand your coverage benefits before your appointment so you do not incur any unexpected expenses from your appointment.

Health Insurance Providers
We are listed as participating providers for the following companies:

Aetna PPO
Anthem Blue Cross PPO
Blue Shield PPO
CIGNA/Great-West Healthcare PPO
HealthNet PPO
Medicare
UnitedHealth (also PacifiCare) PPO
Tri-care Military Insurance

This is not a comprehensive list of insurance providers we accept. Your insurance company may not be listed here.

A Note on Surgeries:
We will seek prior authorization for any major surgeries recommended by your physician. Due to changes in insurance carrier policies, many patients have plans with a high deductible. Also, not all insurance carriers or patient plans cover all surgeries or procedures recommended. Please note prior authorization does not guarantee payment from your insurance provider. You may still be responsible for additional payment depending on your insurance benefits. Please contact your insurance company to determine your deductible and any potential charges you may incur.

For a glossary of basic terms you may come across while learning more about health insurance, please visit our Glossary by clicking here.

Contact US

Our Services

For informational purposes only, a link to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments web page is provided here at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act requires that detailed information about payment and other payments of value worth over ten dollars ($10) from manufacturers of drugs, medical devices, and biologics to physicians and teaching hospitals be made available to the public.

*As of October 1st 2023, Dr. Shapiro will be an out of network provider. Dr. Shapiro’s services will be fee-for-service and are not contracted with any insurance company. Payments are to be paid in full at the time of each visit or prior to the date of surgery. The fee schedule is available upon request. As a courtesy to our patients and to maximize your reimbursement, the office will provide you with a claim form to be submitted to your insurance. For out of network care we do not verify insurance coverage and assume the insurance information you provide is accurate. Reimbursements will come directly to you from your insurance carrier based on your plan's out of network coverage and deductible. We do not bill secondary policies. Please note that all other fees (facility and anesthesia fees for surgery, and tests such as labs or x-rays) will still go through your insurance as per regular insurance in-network contract.

COVID-19 ANNOUNCEMENT

At Westside Head & Neck, it is our highest priority to protect the health of our patients, staff, and community. As an essential business dedicated to serving the community, we will remain open with modified hours. We have implemented all guidelines set by the CDC and Department of Health with regards to ensuring safety and additionally installed state-of-the-art viral filtration systems in all rooms. Click here to read more.