02/09/2015    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL) - PART 2

RE: Handling Patients with High Deductibles Who Refuse to Pay (Elliot Udell, DPM)

From: Alan Bloch, DPM

 

I recently saw a patient who had a $3,000 deductible and has Blue Care Network (BCN). We explained to him that he had a $3,000 deductible, and we collected $100 upfront as a good faith payment for his office visit and injection. The patient reluctantly paid this amount on his credit card. When I saw him in the exam room, he was very upset about having to pay this. I explained to him that with the changes in insurances, we had to change our policies and now collect upfront.  He told me that he most likely will not come back as he cannot afford to continue to see me. The next day, he called BCN and spoke to a representative who told him that it wasn't customary for providers to collect upfront for deductible charges. He then called his credit card company to dispute the charges.  What are people thinking today? 

 

I also wanted to ask how many people are having their patients sign ABNs for BCBS or Medicare patients with high deductibles, so if patients try to dispute their services, we have an ABN that they signed an acknowledgement that these charges may not be covered.

 

Alan Bloch, DPM, Northville, MI