Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeWaters
if you take care of hospitalized patients, then probably yes. but medicare is not such a bad deal for the hospitals.
if you run your own practice, you can make choices. You actually have to APPLY to be a medicare provider. It's not automatic. and there is no law that says I must see any patient on a non-emergent basis.
Most psychiatrists I know, that are starting out, don't take anytning but cash.
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Okay, so it's less than I said. Still, my point is that it's not "unethical" for the paying entity to limit contractually what a dr. can charge (I know this post is not really directed at you). And by the way, that's no different than what insurance companies do with lawyers who defend their insureds. Moreover, health insurers have computerized systems that exclude payment for certain line item if the computer decides that efficiencies inherent in doing multiple surgical procedures don't justify charging as if each procedure was done on a different day. Insurers also retain the right by contract to tell a dr. something he did wasn't medically necessary, and therefore not reimbursible, though this isn't done by computer but by staffs of in-house drs. Again, it's the same with lawyers.