From: "Greg Sharp" <gregsharp1@msn

From: "Greg Sharp" <gregsharp1@msn.com>
Mailing-List: list Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com; contact Practiceimprovement1-owner@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 10:46:46 -0700
Subject: RE: [Practiceimprovement1] Re: Billing vs Cash Pay Practice
Reply-To: Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com

Amen!

We ran a "january/New Year's special", of an annual exam and physical with a
CMC, CMP, TSH and lipid panel plus Pap for women and PSA for men for $175.
This was advertised in the paper for payment at the time of service only.
The response has been very good, as has the related word of mouth. We are
finding this a great way to reach the under/uninsured, which is who we
really want to build our practice on for all the reasons you state. I would
encourage anyone out there to try this.

-----Original Message-----
From: oneyoungmd [mailto:oneyoungmd@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2005 12:48 AM
To: Practiceimprovement1@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Practiceimprovement1] Re: Billing vs Cash Pay Practice

market to the cash pay... contract with a lab to get excellent prices
(FLP,CBC,TSH,CMP cost
$19.50 in my contract ) and charge a fair price $85. I draw the blood the
lab picks it up
andfaxes back the results to my office. Compare that with what the lab
charges cash pay
for the same labs @ $400.

      Have a cash pay menu for patients to look at so they know what the
labs will cost. YOU
WILL make more than insurance pays and still save the patient A LOT OF
MONEY. You
would be shocked by some of the older small biz people in their 50's without
insurance.
Then you can recommend major medical $5600 deductible.
     You can also bundle the labs into wellness physicals etc.....

I publish all of my prices, charge a fair fee, and now have approximately
%40 cash pay
patients. I recently dropped Aetna and Cigna because my cash pay patients
were
subsidizing the huge discounts they were demanding. ALL of the patients
told me that
they knew it wasn't very good insurance. They now file their own claims.

3 points....

1.why should the people without insurance have to subsidize the people with
insurance
(who tend to have more money).... ????

I can run the entire lab panel above, spend   1/2 hour with the patient,
knock $25 off the
labs, $20 off the visit for low income patients and still make more than
what Aetna and
Cigna pay (and they won't get it cheaper anywhere else in town).

2. why should the physician be responsible for filing all the paperwork and
then fill out
more forms to justify getting paid ????

Most of these companies were happy to dictate what I should and should not
be paid for.
One person whining does little to change the general take it or leave it
stance of cigna and
Aetna. I work for the patients, NOT insurance companies. 700 patients
filing their own
claims and waiting on the check WILL get their attention.

3. Billing and co pays don't make sense......

The office visit it $65 and the copay is $20-30. Now I have to pay someone
to get me the
other $30 which is discounted (usually $5-10). If the patient has a
deductible we then
have to bill the patient (approx 2-3 times) for the $22-24 remainder.

We also have some patients with $40 & $50 copays. These copays make the
billing system
futlile at best. It's not worth the time or postage to bill out for $7.

I think cash pay is the way to go.... charge a fair price and cut out the
middle man.
Everyone will save money except insurance companies.

Bill