Third Party Collections - A win-win program Published Nov. 27, 2007 By Staff Sgt. Darrel Gahagan 460th Medical Group BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Starting immediately, patients who visit the 460th Medical Group will be asked to show their "yellow card." Similar to any civilian health insurance system where patients are required to show proof of insurance, the Air Force now asks all retirees, retiree dependents and active duty dependents to show proof that a current Record of Other Health Insurance (DD Form 2569) is filed in their medical record. This proof of a completed DD Form 2569 is the "yellow card," and must be updated. Health insurance companies are mandated by law to reimburse the government for medical treatment provided at Buckley. In turn, the 460th MDG's Third Party Collections Program, or TPC, is responsible for billing the insurance companies for services performed, items used or prescriptions filled. The "yellow card" helps the 460th Medical Group track who should be paid. The reimbursement money is used for purchasing new medical equipment, renovating the facility and hiring additional staff. If an individual does not have other health insurance, he or she will still need to complete and sign a DD Form 2569, certifying that they have no other health insurance information. Informing the 460th MDG of other health insurance benefits the patient in the form of the deductible. When patients utilize their private health insurance, all visits to the clinic can be applied to their policy's deductible. It's a win-win situation. Patients meet their annual deductible without paying a cent and the medical group increases revenues to continue providing quality health care. Say a patient has a $150 deductible with a private insurance company and he or she comes to a military treatment facility for a visit. He or she does not pay for the visit. If the visit costs $50, that money is applied to the outside insurance company's deductible. Now when that individual goes to an outside doctor the deductible of $150 is now $100. All MTF charges are applied to the deductible lowering it and the patient pays nothing at the MTF. If a patient's health insurance changes, he or she should notify the medical technician or receptionist immediately upon check-in, and the clinic will give the patient another form to complete. For more information contact the 460th Medical Group at 720-847-9355.