Re: OB: Billing...now phone Rx.
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Mon May 22 08:40:28 2000
perhaps if HR 1304 becomes law, contracts could be negotiated to cover
all services rendered?
Art
At Sun, 21 May 2000, DoctorJoe@aol.com wrote:
>
>In a message dated 5/21/00 3:43:48 PM, RModugno@aol.com writes:
>
>>Interesting thread!
>>
>>This certainly sounds like an area where one could recoup lost income.
>>Our
>>practice tries not to give too many free phone consultations, and we
>>encourage them to make an appointment. We too are deluged with refill
>>requests. As I have said before healthcare is the biggest discount business
>>
>>in America. We give so much service away for free, it's incredible!
>>
>>Ashley, you could contact those practices that do charge for refills to
>>find
>>out what patient reaction is like.
>
>This condenses into two areas:
>
>1. The 3rd party-payors won't pay. What to do about it?
>
>2. How do you get money out of the PATIENTS without making them feel taken to
>the cleaners?
>
>I'd throw the first problem up to the list... Perhaps start billing the
>carrier under the "phone call CPT" and let a balance accrue over months or
>so, then file a grievance if they don't bill... Something passive-aggressive
>like that.
>
>The second question is, in my mind, easy. All new patients (and even old
>patients, once you make up your mind) get a sheet of paper outlining your
>practice of billing them for phone stuff (or collecting their co-pay,
>whatever) so they know up-front what you'll be doing to them. If they have a
>problem, tell them that you have overhead, time, and phone charges to pay for
>(not to mention malpractice insurance for that phoned-in antibiotic that
>resulted in anaphylaxis) and that if they don't approve, they can make a real
>regular (or emergency) appointment (or meet you in the ER)... I'll bet
>they'll understand, esp. when you tell them what you're going to do to go
>after their insurer for ITS part of the money...
>
>Joe P.
--
art fougner, md
A series of 1000 cases begins with but a single anecdote.
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