john in la
Well-known Member
I go in for my yearly check up and the nurse practitioner tells me I should get the Sebaceous cysts removed from my back.
I tell her OK get the doctor in here and go at it; I got time.
OH No!! we can not do that here we need to send you to a specialist.
I feel like saying;...So what do you do?? Check blood pressure and write RX's.
So I go to the specialist; a general surgeon.
He walks in and looks at it.
Yes you got a Sebaceous cysts on your back.
Well DUH. We knew that already.
So when do you want to schedule the out patient surgery?
Wait we are not going to do this now; in the office so it will be covered under my co-pay.
No we do all surgery in a out patient setting.
OK I can live with all the above.
Maybe the cyst is a little to big for in the office work.
Maybe the doctors office is just to scared of law suits to do minor surgery in the office.
But here comes the rant.
Now we are out of my office one price covers everything co-pay part of my insurance and go into $500 deductible and 20% co-pay.
So while talking to the nurse to schedule the surgery I ask can we send in a pre bill to the insurance so I can get approved and get a idea of my portion of the bill.
She explains to me that while she "might" be able to get the doctors portion of the bill she could not get the entire charge because there is facility charges; anesthesiologist charges; and I am thinking others. No way we could know all the charges in advance.
So I go talk the financial department at the clinic to see if they could get me a total bill in advance so I can get a idea on the cost. They tell me no. We just call your insurance to make sure you have coverage; collect the $500 deductible on the day of the surgery and send you a bill for the 20% co-pay.
So I call the insurance company. They tell me there is know way to know the charges until everyone involved sends in the final bill with the medical codes listed. Different codes pay different amounts.
They even tell me that the same code from 2 different places would be 2 different amounts as each has different contracts.
So I can take my tractor in for service and the mechanic can give me estimate.
I can go to the dentist and my insurance can give me a to the penny cost on a root canal and crown and it does not matter what dentist I go to as long as they are on my plan.
But a doctors office can not tell me if a surgery is going to cost $15 or $15,000 in advance.
Doctors offices and hospitals are so use to; I am sick; Fix me; and I do not care what it cost; mentality that they have no way of figuring a estimate in advance.
I tell her OK get the doctor in here and go at it; I got time.
OH No!! we can not do that here we need to send you to a specialist.
I feel like saying;...So what do you do?? Check blood pressure and write RX's.
So I go to the specialist; a general surgeon.
He walks in and looks at it.
Yes you got a Sebaceous cysts on your back.
Well DUH. We knew that already.
So when do you want to schedule the out patient surgery?
Wait we are not going to do this now; in the office so it will be covered under my co-pay.
No we do all surgery in a out patient setting.
OK I can live with all the above.
Maybe the cyst is a little to big for in the office work.
Maybe the doctors office is just to scared of law suits to do minor surgery in the office.
But here comes the rant.
Now we are out of my office one price covers everything co-pay part of my insurance and go into $500 deductible and 20% co-pay.
So while talking to the nurse to schedule the surgery I ask can we send in a pre bill to the insurance so I can get approved and get a idea of my portion of the bill.
She explains to me that while she "might" be able to get the doctors portion of the bill she could not get the entire charge because there is facility charges; anesthesiologist charges; and I am thinking others. No way we could know all the charges in advance.
So I go talk the financial department at the clinic to see if they could get me a total bill in advance so I can get a idea on the cost. They tell me no. We just call your insurance to make sure you have coverage; collect the $500 deductible on the day of the surgery and send you a bill for the 20% co-pay.
So I call the insurance company. They tell me there is know way to know the charges until everyone involved sends in the final bill with the medical codes listed. Different codes pay different amounts.
They even tell me that the same code from 2 different places would be 2 different amounts as each has different contracts.
So I can take my tractor in for service and the mechanic can give me estimate.
I can go to the dentist and my insurance can give me a to the penny cost on a root canal and crown and it does not matter what dentist I go to as long as they are on my plan.
But a doctors office can not tell me if a surgery is going to cost $15 or $15,000 in advance.
Doctors offices and hospitals are so use to; I am sick; Fix me; and I do not care what it cost; mentality that they have no way of figuring a estimate in advance.