at some point docs will jump on my side and push for a cash pay system for office visits.. the pricing will be reasonable..pts will trust you, pay up front, there will be no need for freaking PM's and billing services...you jsut record what you collect at the door when the walk in plus anything additional you did as they are walking out...simple as that...and if one of my pts wants to go next door because the guy charges 25 less a vist, that is fine...you get what you pay for in the end.
it is crazy how much "benefits+ premiums paid by employee" insurance costs a year versus how much you actually use in a given year....
we should just have insurance for major things and hospital stays and all that...and elective surgeries shouldn't have crazy prices in the hospitals either.
Ketan,
I agree, and my "nuclear option" is just as you describe, and from a business perspective makes the most sense in my mind. If you look at one's yearly dental charges versus primary care out patient charges, I suspect the former is significantly higher.
One could trim overhead significantly by cutting back on staff, which in turn lowers insurance and retirement benefit costs, which could be translated to less costly office charges.
I think this will not only be the trend but the standard in several years for primary care outpatient non-proceduralist offices because it makes sense.
I bring up the dental aspect because most patients pay their dental bill this way without a thought, why not their primary care doc too?
I think you are ahead of the curve.
