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Docs billing for administrative extras

Brace yourselves, according to a recent Los Angeles Times article doctors are billing for things like prescription refill requests, copies of medical records, phone consultations, family medical leave forms, medical disability forms, waivers of insurance premiums, waivers for handicapped plates. Other physicians, notably pediatricians, charge patients for after-hours calls, passing on the $15 or $20 per call that they're billed by the answering service.
Almost unheard of five years ago, the practice has disgruntled some.

The article quotes, Arthur Levin, director of the New York City-based Center for Medical Consumers, "It shows that healthcare is like any other enterprise: It is revenue-driven”. Duh! Where has he been? Of course, healthcare is revenue driven. "In the old days, we just did it, it was part of doing business and doctors would absorb the cost," says Dr. Richard Lander, a New Jersey pediatrician who currently charges $5 for school, camp or athletic participation forms. "But in today's climate with so much paperwork involved, doctors feel they can no longer give services for free." Lander recalls the reaction when he first started asking for the fee five years ago. "People were astonished. They were incensed. I had a few patients who left my practice," he says.

My opinion? This practice does not bother me. First of all we're not talking about a lot of money and secondly, I'd rather pay for the administrative services I request than being overbilled for medical services to pay for someone else's paperwork.

How do you feel about it?

Posted by Phil Daigle on August 30, 2006 11:23 AM
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