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Pay first
- by shaggya
- 2012-09-17 09:09:11
- General Posting
- 928 views
- 8 comments
I went in for a PM check this past Thursday and my PM has reached the replacement point. Surgery was scheduled for today. Friday I received several telephone calls from the clinic's business office and was told that I had to pay my co-insurance prior to the surgery. I don't have that kind of cash so I cancelled the surgery. Have any of you had this problem? It's very disconcerting and downright brutal to be told that you can't have a life-saving procedure until you pay for it in advance.
shaggya
8 Comments
payment plan
by Tracey_E - 2012-09-17 08:09:16
It's not uncommon or unreasonable for the business office to talk to you up front about your share of the bill. Too many people never pay their share so they're just trying to cover themselves. If someone came to the house to fix your AC or plumbing, you'd expect to pay them when they came. If you had an office visit, you'd be expected to pay before you left. Why is this different? It sucks when you're more concerned about your healthy than the details, but it's not unreasonable for them to expect to be paid. Ask for a payment plan if all at once is too much.
When I had my last replacement, I paid some up front, some came later over the next months. Every time I thought I was done, another bill showed up. I actually preferred the drs who asked for it up front, no big fat surprises later. The American insurance system is a mess, but this doesn't seem to me to be different from the way any office is run these days.
Ridiculous
by cohara - 2012-09-17 11:09:20
I would call the business office and see if they will work out a payment plan. If they balk, remind them that if the pacemaker goes into failure and you have to get a replacement through the ER, the procedure must be done by law regardless of whether you have cash on hand. The hospital has to work out a payment plan for you. However, their practice may not end up doing the procedure.
If this is a private practice, perhaps they will work with you to keep your business. I would also look for another EP with a less profit seeking approach and contact them if the clinic you go through refuses to budge. You probably have a little time left, but I would start shopping for a replacement immediately.
Good luck. Hopefully, you can talk some sense into the idiots.
Carol
Pay first
by shaggya - 2012-09-17 12:09:59
Thanks, Carol. Even if I could convice the business office to work out a payment plan, I'm not so sure that I'm comfortable with having surgery at a clinic where money comes before patient care. I understand that physicians are going through hard times with reimbursement, but the patient should come first. I have really good private insurance and my co-payment is 20%, so they would be paid most of the charges within a few days.
I thought that the ER was only required to stabilize a patient. I have SSS and I'm not using the PM all the time. Like most SSS patients, I have a history of syncope with flatline.
You are right. I need to find another EP.
PAYMENT
by pete - 2012-09-18 02:09:08
I would not mind paying but the price is far too high.
Pacemakers cost a lot less than you would think to manufacture. You would be shocked if you knew the truth.
Yet they end up charging a fortune for something that is cheaper to manufacture than a computer. Then the hospital fees and charges are wound up to a pitch and piled on top. Its all very sad.
Emergency Care
by donr - 2012-09-18 12:09:30
Last night I went to the ER where my #2 Daughter is the ER Doc.
I asked the woman who does the reistrations/ business what they did w/ people who just flat cannot pay their bills.
Her response was interesting. She said that they always discuss payment w/ the patient or whoever is registering for them. If they state that they cannot pay, they get all the particulars for contact & their business office cantacts them at a future date about pyment arrangements. That future date is a matter of days.
The patient ALWAYS gets treated.
She also said thatin the next 30 days, their procedures were ioing to change, due to the imposition of more of the Obamacare Act. How, she was not sure, but her implications were that they were going to be more pushy about collecting fees.
I've read their annual report & they write off a lot of money annually for patients who cannot pay.
My experience is that any hosp will make payment arrangements w/patients who need them.
Don
Didn't have to pay first
by shaggya - 2012-10-12 02:10:12
I talked to my EP about not being able to pay for my new PM in advance and he contacted the business office. I had the surgery last week and am doing fine with no added stress of trying to pay the entire balance at once. So if you have this problem, I would advise talking to your EP very respectfully and explain your financial limitations. I appreciate all of the people who responded to my dilemma. Thanks!
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pay first
by manaman - 2012-09-17 04:09:57
doesn't matter, you still have a PM for what ever reason. While it is true that a PRIVATE clinic/hospital (whatever) does not have to treat you there is still the medical oath thing. Use the ER if you need to, probably won't be done in ER but YOU WILL SZTILL be admiktted to the hospital (if PM is not working).
We probably ain't seen nothing yet! Unless one is not TOTALLY DEPENDANT on our government for FREE HAND-OUTS (no work involved) then things will only get worse (quickly). Medicine is no longer a quest of passion to heal but an endover to become RICH from the nursing staffs to the doctors and specialist! Sorry, that's just the way it is. I still content that there is no nurse that is worth $50.00 per hour no more than a plumber is not woth $50.00 per hour! Bet this gets a lot of replies from a bunch of folks.