06/23/2022    

RESPONSES/COMMENTS (NON-CLINICAL)

RE: Adding Services to Fight Inflation (Stephen Peslar, BSc, DCh)

From: Elliot Udell, DPM

 

Perhaps Dr. Peslar can advise me and any others with a problem we are having with getting paid for orthotics. I am contracted with many insurance companies in my geographic area and am bound to accept what they pay for podiatric services. The problem is that they tell their clients that they are fully covered for custom foot orthotics. What they don't tell them is that the doctor (in this case me) will get paid 26 dollars and fifty cents for an orthotic, which is far less than the lab fees.

 

I've had patients willing to pay upfront for good custom sports orthotics only to be told by the insurance company, months later, that I owe the patient a refund and need to accept the twenty six dollars and fifty cents. Some of the coding gurus in our profession told me that I should drop out of the participation, but this would be cutting my nose to spite my face. I would lose compensation from all other services. Has anyone else encountered this and what have you done?

 

Elliot Udell, DPM, Hicksville, NY