FAQs

If you or a loved one has received a medical bill from Emergency Medicine Associates (EMA) and you have questions, you have come to the right place.

Who is EMA?

Emergency Medicine Associates, P.A., P.C.  (EMA) is a group of professional emergency medicine clinical providers dedicated to caring for patients in the Emergency Department setting, both in Maryland and Virginia.  EMA has provided excellence in Emergency Medicine Services since 1971.

Why did I get a bill from EMA?

The statement represents the physician’s professional invoice for emergency services you or a loved one received at the hospital.

Why were these charges not included in my hospital bill?

Although services were rendered at the hospital, you may receive more than one bill for the same hospital visit.  However these bills are for services by different and separate parties – you are not being charged twice. One bill is from the hospital, and it covers charges for emergency and nursing services, equipment, medication and supplies. The second bill is from the physician group, and it covers the professional charges for the emergency physician's services and is generated out of our Germantown, Maryland office.

Why was the health insurance company not billed?

If EMA has health insurance information, we will bill the insurance company first.  However, insurance information and member data can often be erroneously recorded at the time of your visit.  Therefore, simply reviewing your health insurance information with a representative at EMA, or e-mailing this information to EMA, enables our Customer Care Representatives to bill or re-bill your insurance on your behalf and remove your invoice from a past-due account status.

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What should I do with my bill?

**If you have an active health insurance plan that covers emergency visits you should…

Contact an EMA Customer Care Representative who will assist you with billing your personal health insurance plan.   Please be prepared to provide the following information:

  • Patient account number (located on your statement)
  • Patient or Member’s ID/policy number (located on your insurance card)
  • Contact number (so our EMA Customer Care Representative can follow up with you)

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** If you do not have a health insurance plan for emergency visits you should…

Contact an EMA Customer Care Representative who will assist you with arranging for payment in order to avoid having a past-due account.  EMA reserves the right to pursue collections on outstanding and overdue accounts.

EMA accepts most major credit cards, money orders, traveler’s checks, as well as personal checks.

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I have insurance, what is my responsibility?

If you do not pay your bill in a prompt fashion or report your insurance information to EMA upon receipt of a bill, you will ultimately be responsible for the entire balance.  Most insurance companies have “timely filing” rules, which means that your claim must be submitted within an allotted time frame following the date of service.  If we do not receive the necessary information from you to file the claim by this “timely filing” date, the balance of the visit will be your responsibility.  For more information regarding your insurance company’s specific rules and regulations, contact your insurance company’s customer service department.

If your insurance company does not pay your bill, you will be responsible for the balance, regardless of your insurance company’s reason of denial.

Why can’t EMA call my health insurance to get information regarding my coverage?

A patient (or parent/legal guardian of a minor) needs to call the insurance company.  Due to Federal HIPAA regulations, we do not have access to your personal information.  In addition, we do not have access to the patient’s personal information at the hospital.  Your insurance company and your hospital of choice are simply protecting your privacy. 

What is a deductible?

For details on your financial responsibility as outlined by your health insurance company, please contact your health insurance company directly.  EMA will receive information from your health insurance company regarding your financial obligations for your visit to the Emergency Department.  Typically, health insurance plans cover certain portions of the charges once the member has met the plan deductible (when applicable).  You may contact the EMA office to arrange for payment or mail a check in for the amount detailed on your statement.

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Why does my bill have a physician’s name on it?

An EMA physician has provided you with direct care, or has reviewed the care you received by other professional emergency medicine caregivers.  You may have been cared for by a Physician Assistant.  EMA’s Physician Assistants (P.A.) have completed rigorous education and training programs at accredited schools.  They are licensed by the Board of Physician Assistants and have their Board Certification….   Our P.A. works closely with the treating physician regarding all aspects of patient care. 

How to pay my bill?

  • Check
  • Money order
  • Traveler’s check
  • Credit card

Payable to: Emergency Medicine Associates

Please include the top of your statement when mailing your payment.

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Why is my health insurance not accepted?

Your health insurance company may not have a contract with EMA; therefore, you are responsible for paying EMA’s bill.  Your insurance company may accept a submission of charges incurred based on your plans policies.  Please contact your health insurance company directly if you have questions about your insurance coverage.

EMA makes a conscious effort to participate with most major and local insurance carriers for the communities we service.

Again, EMA reserves the right to pursue collections on outstanding and overdue accounts in the event that payment is not made.

What does the ER visit consist of?

Your EMA encounter begins when our EMA clinician enters your hospital room after reviewing the nurse’s documentation from the triage portion of your emergency department visit.  The physician or physician assistant obtains and documents a full history of your symptoms, a conversation which may include discussion of your body systems, personal history, social history, and/or family history.  He or she then performs a physical exam and determines what, if any, tests are required to make a diagnosis and/or treat you.  These tests may include lab work, radiological tests, and/or more sophisticated tests.  He or she then reviews the tests to determine appropriate treatment measures, such as medication or other therapies, before documenting a final diagnosis and, in some cases, admitting you to the hospital for inpatient services.  If you are discharged from the emergency department, the physician or P.A. may also arrange for follow-up care with another medical provider.

Why am I responsible for the balance of bill “above the usual and customary”?

Although your insurance company has made determination that a portion of your bill is “above the usual and customary,” please be advised that our fees are well within the usual and customary fee range for our geographic service area, according to national fee analysis publications.  Please be aware that our fees are not based on the amount of time our EMA clinicians spends with the patient, but rather on medical expertise, work involved, and risk.

You may wish to appeal to your insurance company for reconsideration; however you are responsible for any balance on your statement.

Why did I receive a bill separate from the hospital for my visit?

You may receive more than one bill for the same hospital visit.  However these bills are for different services-you are not being charged twice. One bill is from the hospital, and it covers charges for emergency and nursing services, equipment, medication and supplies. The second bill is from the physician group, and it covers the professional charges for the emergency physician's services.

Are the doctors employed by the hospital?

Your hospital has chosen to partner with EMA to provide administrative and staffing services. This partnership demonstrates your hospital's commitment to the provision of an exceptional healthcare delivery system.

Why does the emergency room sometimes have long wait times?

There are a variety of factors that cause lengthy waiting times in emergency rooms. Many patients who come to the emergency department are very sick and must be admitted to the hospital. If no hospital beds are available, the patient must wait in the emergency department until a bed opens up and can occupy beds in the emergency department for longer periods of time. This can cause other patients to wait even longer to be seen.

What should I do if I think I have a medical emergency?

The American College of Emergency Physicians guidelines state that you should call 911 if you answer 'yes' to at least one of the following questions:

  • Is the situation life-threatening?
  • Could the situation worsen and become life-threatening during a drive to the emergency department?
  • Do you need special equipment or skills to move the person?
  • Could traffic or distance cause a delay in getting to the emergency department?

If a medical condition arises suddenly and you believe that if you do not receive immediate medical treatment, your life or health could be in jeopardy, you should go to the emergency department. Some examples include:

  • Signs of a heart attack
  • Signs of a stroke
  • Severe shortness of breath
  • Bleeding that will not stop after 10 minutes of direct pressure
  • Poisoning
  • Complicated fractures
  • Major injuries like a head injury
  • Coughing up or vomiting blood
  • Homicidal or suicidal feelings

Will you agree to be a participating provider in any insurance network, PPO, or Managed Care program in which the hospital elects to participate?

EMA will negotiate with all programs in which the hospital participates.