Posted by seldomseen on April 27, 2008, at 10:29:29
In reply to Re: This Isn't Funny No Pdoc Will Take Medicaire here. » Phillipa, posted by Bob on April 26, 2008, at 15:08:27
"Why should a doctor put up with managed care payment guidelines if they're good enough to operate a practice without insurance?"
I have to agree with this statement. If I were a doctor in private practice I would not take medicare patients or insurance. As far as medicaire is concerned, the regulations required for reimbursement appear to be simply oppressive, patient confidentiality can be easily compromised and I think basically the gov't can tell you HOW to treat a patient. Most of the time, I'm not convinced that these treatment recommendations are evidence-based.
If you deviate from those recommendations, you don't get reimbursed. If you don't fill out the paperwork correctly, you can be fined or go to jail.Add that to the fact that reimbursement payments for physicians have actually decreased over the years and it's a wonder physicians anywhere still take medicare patients at all.
I think most of the same things can be said of managed care conglomerates - even my insurance company dictates the number and duration of the session that I can have in a year and I have an outrageous deductible.
I realized early on that in order to get the best treatment I was going to have to lay out the big bucks. It's a sacrifice I chose to make and was lucky enough to be able to make.
Seldom.
poster:seldomseen
thread:825398
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080420/msgs/825793.html