tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post5021586207733005477..comments2023-08-15T09:39:41.235-05:00Comments on Sutured for a Living: Will My Opt-Out Status Affect You?rlbateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-12573043338734931412010-10-01T08:12:30.212-05:002010-10-01T08:12:30.212-05:00Most hospitals require docs to be Medicare enrolle...Most hospitals require docs to be Medicare enrolled as a prerequisite for being on staff. If this is not the case for you, expect some by-law changes real soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-70644380856716596262010-09-20T16:17:38.582-05:002010-09-20T16:17:38.582-05:00Agent99, I would have to reapply to Medicare to ev...Agent99, I would have to reapply to Medicare to even be listed as a non-participating physician. It is true I can not refuse to see a Medicare patient ER patient when I'm on call, but I do not have to see them otherwise. IF I do, never the patient nor I can file. The patient has to literally agree to pay for their care out of pocket. That is the difference between opting out and non-participation. <br /><br />The payment as a non-participating Medicare provider is not much, if any, better than participating MDs. The headaches certainly aren't any less.rlbateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-47731647766380450202010-09-20T15:56:36.696-05:002010-09-20T15:56:36.696-05:00A troubling policy change if true. My experience ...A troubling policy change if true. My experience (and I treat better that 80% Medicare in my line of work) was that a provider can be non-participating in Medicare, meaning they did not accept assignment. Patients has to file their own claims and pay the Non-PAR rate out of pocket to the doctor. SO while a doc can opt-out of Medicare participation, I don't think a doc can refuse Medicare. They are simply now required to accept assignment.....As to refusing coverage of necessary studies for patients of Non-PAR docs - that seems to ridiculous to be true.... Please let us know how this works out.agent99https://www.blogger.com/profile/12334005818736489335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-67521568192274606992010-09-20T07:01:10.866-05:002010-09-20T07:01:10.866-05:00Paul, I don't have the answer for you on the s...Paul, I don't have the answer for you on the second part (will doctors still be able to opt out under the new health reform law). <br /><br />Dr. Jim, don't be impressed. My colleagues the radiologists alerted me to this.<br /><br />CA, yes, to me it does have the feel of being "strong armed."rlbateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-39059197598906452302010-09-20T06:58:16.625-05:002010-09-20T06:58:16.625-05:00Paul, I opted out because I was losing money for e...Paul, I opted out because I was losing money for each Medicare patient I saw. I suppose I could have just limited the number of Medicare patients I saw so the remaining patients made up the them. To me this is wrong. The other patients shouldn't be paying for their own care and someone else.rlbateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15236331355857884458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-66605577467076398662010-09-20T06:52:25.595-05:002010-09-20T06:52:25.595-05:00It sure seems like what you fear, is what the resu...It sure seems like what you fear, is what the result will be. It has the feel of strong arming, doesn't it?Chrysalis https://www.blogger.com/profile/00757696627388704079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-68912314037869433942010-09-20T06:42:23.613-05:002010-09-20T06:42:23.613-05:00Very interesting, Ramona. Your alertness to these...Very interesting, Ramona. Your alertness to these politics impresses me...StorytellERdochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14371229500424449124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7675087351939177300.post-18300389900268040522010-09-20T06:25:43.059-05:002010-09-20T06:25:43.059-05:00I didn't know an MD COULD opt out from Medicar...I didn't know an MD COULD opt out from Medicare. Will that still be true under the new health reform law?<br /><br />Would you please explain why you did this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com