Cashless treatments are one of the benefits of health insurance plans. It allows you to get treated in one of the network hospitals without paying anything out of your pocket. The insurance provider settles the bills directly with the hospital. This seamless transaction is possible because the insurance providers have ongoing agreements with empanelled hospitals within their network. Let's understand the network hospital meaning and how it can improve your insurance experience.
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Why Network Hospitals Are Crucial in Family Health Insurance
Network hospitals offer the following benefits:
A Cashless hospital means you don't have to pay upfront expenses to get hospitalised and get treatments. The cost of treatment is also pre-approved by your insurance provider. Only if the medical bill is higher than your sum insured do you have to pay the difference. Otherwise, the entire bill will be settled by the insurer directly to the hospital.
If you go to a network hospital for any treatment, you only need to notify the insurer. The approval process will happen in the background, and the hospital will get instructions from the insurer to move forward with the treatment. You need not worry about paying for treatment or settling the hospital bill.
For cashless treatments, IRDAI has instructed insurers to approve the claim within an hour. So, immediately after getting to the hospital, your insurer can be notified, and they can instruct the hospital to go ahead with the treatment. Also, the final bill is settled directly with the hospital, ensuring faster processing of your health insurance claim.
With network hospitals, the transactions happen between the hospital and the insurance provider. Your medical reports, treatment plans, and bills will be sent to the insurer directly. This minimises paperwork for the policyholder. However, you still have to ensure that you keep all the documents safe, in case they are needed.
As the insurance providers vet these hospitals before they are empanelled, you can be confident that you are getting treated at high-quality centres. To make it convenient for policyholders, insurers often have a vast network, covering many major speciality health centres. You can get easy access to specialists through your network hospital.
When you have health insurance, getting treatments from network hospitals can be simple, quick, and hassle-free. Further, cashless policies allow you to get discharged without paying a single rupee out of your pocket, depending on the policy terms.
Generally, your network hospitals include
For imaging and lab tests
For a wide range of services under one roof
These centres focus on specific treatments like oncology, cardiology, etc.
When you compare insurance providers to buy an insurance policy, you must explore the network hospital list. You need an insurer with a broad hospital network so that you can have quality healthcare access nearby. Some of the reasons why a wide network hospital list is useful are:
More hospitals in the network expand your options for choosing a treatment centre. A wider network ensures that you will have at least one hospital within your vicinity. This can be important when there are emergencies.
A broad hospital network can offer you multiple choices when you need elective treatments. Hospital chains within the network allow you to get treated in any hospital of your choice across India.
Cashless claims allow you to get treated in any network hospital without upfront admission charges and delays. With reimbursement claims, you can go to any hospital, but pay the bills yourself first. Then, based on the policy terms and sum assured, you can make a claim and get reimbursed for the bills paid.
Here's a quick overview of cashless vs reimbursement claims in health insurance:
| Aspect | Cashless Claim | Reimbursement Claim |
| Payment | The insurer pays directly to the hospital | The policyholder pays and claims later |
| Hospital Type | Network hospitals only | Any hospital |
| Process | Faster and streamlined | Slower with more documentation |
| Financial Burden | Lower at the time of treatment | Higher upfront costs |
The significance of “network hospital” is that these are healthcare institutions that insurance companies have checked out and added to their list of approved providers. Depending on the policy terms, policyholders can get cashless treatments from these hospitals within the network.
While you can get emergency treatment and avail cashless treatment from non-network hospitals (varies based on policy terms), the process will be seamless and simple if you choose to get treated in a network hospital. Reimbursement plans, on the other hand, require you to pay upfront costs before you can claim your medical bills.
Cashless hospitals can be more useful for a hassle-free treatment experience. Explore insurance providers to find cashless network hospitals near you to get the full benefits of insurance.
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Reviewed by Dr. Harshita Dahiya 
Acko Technology & Services Private Limited
#36/5, Hustlehub One East, Somasandrapalya, 27th Main Rd, Sector 2, HSR Layout, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560102
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