Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Patients leaving secondary to better copays

Reading some of our Alaska colleagues' posts, I want to move to Alaska too! But I think it would kill me. I've been in Florida too long.

jimmie,

It sounds as if you have this patient of 1500 and are closed for the moment. And, instead of waiting until you are down 30 patients and reopening, you do this on a patient by patient basis. I am not sure I understand what you are saying. Are you saying that this family with Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Cigna secondary leaves it is an opportunity to get a better-paying patient?

For me, it is all about ego. I am not Spock. I gave this patient as much as I could give. They liked it here, but yet chose to go to another practice based on finances. Completely understand. But, I don't want you back.

Bert,

Yes. I am saying this family with Blue Cross did you a favor. You have to yin and yang it. David is giving you some yin, you just got a yang a bit more.
But remember I am practicing out in the Chinook infested steppes of the West, so heed (or not) my advice with caution.

West ? Wait you are way East of me.......

For my 2 cents - I just tell anyone who leaves for any reason other than moving away that I do not take them back. I tell them my malpractice insurance says that I should not - read an article that recommended not taking them back, if they were not happy enough to stay the first time why run the risk of having them back ??

The paper almost has a standing ad for billers for one practice or another, and that is just in our community. If you are not in jest, PM me and I will be glad to give more information.

And, while I really do understand the allure of Florida, especially in mid-winter, we have a constant recruitment program trying hard to find qualified physicians in all specialties. Just sayin'.

I'm late to this thread.
But over the years, far more patients have transferred in to my practice than have transferred out.
And the ones who transfer out usually come back after they have sampled the competition, and they are usually a lot more loyal than they were before they left. Those that don't come back were mostly those who I am happy to see gone.

It's a free country and a free market. I never hold it against anyone who thinks they can get a better deal somewhere else -- but sometimes they just have to find out for themselves.