Doctor charging for an email?

[beastmode121]

Lawyers do that, why not doctors ?

You’re taking someone’s home; time is valuable ; you pay for it

 

[qbkilla]

Lawyers do that, why not doctors ?

You’re taking someone’s home; time is valuable ; you pay for it

Employers pay their employees for their time, that's the whole concept of work.

If you email Amazon with a question about returning an item, should you pay an extra fee?

If you schedule a parent teacher conference to discuss a child's failing grades, should the teacher be paid a fee for the conference, or a fee per minute they interact with the parent?

Doctors are already paid for their time jist like every other profession. I pay a monthly insurance premium, which pays my insurance company, which pays the doctors office, which pays the doctors.

 

[Delt123]

Is he 80 and a super anti ped old school doc or is he actually smart enough to roll with the ped game.

He is definitely not pro PEDS but would prescribe testosterone if you need it. However not in the first half year of being hypogonadal, probably even longer. He wants to exhaust all other options first

 

[Flex500]

It's not necessarily a straightforward answer. But I've worked in the medical device and medical billing world for 17 years now so I'll offer a couple things:

- Can they charge? Yes, they can and there is nothing prohibiting them from doing so
- Will insurance pay? Maybe, some, most probably not. What happens next depends on the policy of the system where you being seen (some will just write it off others charge a small fee directly to the patient)

The most important thing (in my view) is transparency. They should have clearly let you know emails would have a charge, or exactly what kind of emails would carry a charge. For instance, a quick question about how to take a medication often doesn't carry a fee but a more involved question may.

Hospitals are also pushing their doctors to be more proactive and thorough answering emails. An ortho guy I work with gets literally hundreds of emails a day and just five years ago it was a small handful. The doctors don't have time and for them it is turning into a lot of extra work so some hospitals are paying them to answer.

Since covid, staffing issues, and patients just using more electronic communications this has become a topic that many healthcare systems are experimenting with how to handle or deal with it. Many are doing trials to charge for emails and pay the docs for their time to see how that goes.

 

[qbkilla]

It's not necessarily a straightforward answer. But I've worked in the medical device and medical billing world for 17 years now so I'll offer a couple things:

- Can they charge? Yes, they can and there is nothing prohibiting them from doing so
- Will insurance pay? Maybe, some, most probably not. What happens next depends on the policy of the system where you being seen (some will just write it off others charge a small fee directly to the patient)

The most important thing (in my view) is transparency. They should have clearly let you know emails would have a charge, or exactly what kind of emails would carry a charge. For instance, a quick question about how to take a medication often doesn't carry a fee but a more involved question may.

Hospitals are also pushing their doctors to be more proactive and thorough answering emails. An ortho guy I work with gets literally hundreds of emails a day and just five years ago it was a small handful. The doctors don't have time and for them it is turning into a lot of extra work so some hospitals are paying them to answer.

Since covid, staffing issues, and patients just using more electronic communications this has become a topic that many healthcare systems are experimenting with how to handle or deal with it. Many are doing trials to charge for emails and pay the docs for their time to see how that goes.

Agree with all you said. The main thing is transparency, gotta let people know if your going to charge them.

I can definitely see how doctors would be pissed about the email thing, no time to answer hundereds of emails.

I work as a consultant and many of my co worker give their number to clients so they can communicate easier, I have them email me. Giving a client more access to you is like opening a can of worms. You get those texts coming you can't stop them. I'd rather keep that in my inbox.

 

[marssel]

Employers pay their employees for their time, that's the whole concept of work.

If you email Amazon with a question about returning an item, should you pay an extra fee?

If you schedule a parent teacher conference to discuss a child's failing grades, should the teacher be paid a fee for the conference, or a fee per minute they interact with the parent?

Doctors are already paid for their time jist like every other profession. I pay a monthly insurance premium, which pays my insurance company, which pays the doctors office, which pays the doctors.

I agree but if your doc is not an anti ped idiot I’d pay it bc informed docs are hard to find, most pcps can’t even get on level with the conversations we have on this board.

 

[beastmode121]

Employers pay their employees for their time, that's the whole concept of work.

If you email Amazon with a question about returning an item, should you pay an extra fee?

If you schedule a parent teacher conference to discuss a child's failing grades, should the teacher be paid a fee for the conference, or a fee per minute they interact with the parent?

Doctors are already paid for their time jist like every other profession. I pay a monthly insurance premium, which pays my insurance company, which pays the doctors office, which pays the doctors.

Doctors don’t work for you or anyone else.

Are you comparing an Amazon worker who’s trying to “sell” a product to a doctor who basically doesn’t need you at all.

You need him. If you don’t like it; find someone else and I promise you you won’t be missed.

Teachers get a salary which mentions in their contract all these extra things.

Nurses don’t step into a hospital unless they clock in.

You paying insurance premium has nothing to do with it. you’re not paying the doctor that premium; he’s an independent contractor.

You sound so entitled.. you remind me of all these patients that come to the emergency room thinking we owe them something.


This is the point.. you don’t like it, respectfully don’t use him. or just fuck off .. respectfully

 

[qbkilla]

Doctors don’t work for you or anyone else.

Are you comparing an Amazon worker who’s trying to “sell” a product to a doctor who basically doesn’t need you at all.

You need him. If you don’t like it; find someone else and I promise you you won’t be missed.

Teachers get a salary which mentions in their contract all these extra things.

Nurses don’t step into a hospital unless they clock in.

You paying insurance premium has nothing to do with it. you’re not paying the doctor that premium; he’s an independent contractor.

You sound so entitled.. you remind me of all these patients that come to the emergency room thinking we owe them something.


This is the point.. you don’t like it, respectfully don’t use him. or just fuck off .. respectfully

It sounds like your biased because your frustrated with your job, alot of us feel over worked and underpaid, im sure doctors and all medical professionals work hard. Speaking of sounding entitled, life is rough we have to all work for a living (most of us).

But economics don't change based on the profession, McDonald's employee, doctor, professional athlete.

Most employees are paid by the hour (clock in or clock out), or by salary (a set amount of money per year).

The patient doesn't pay the doctor, or even the hospital, their insurance company does. If you need surgery to repair an ACL, it is a price paid to the hospital by the insurance company. I can't comment on if the doctor gets a commission etc maybe you can shine the light on that. But I can tell you if after the patient wakes up if he asks to talk to the doctor for instructions, if he tells the nurse he feels like he is going to pass out so she checks his BP, or the orderly has to get him a bigger wheelchair because he wont fit in it, if the janitor has to clean up a mess because he threw up, none of those employees are (nor should they) have to pay an extra fee.

 

[beastmode121]

It sounds like your biased because your frustrated with your job, alot of us feel over worked and underpaid, im sure doctors and all medical professionals work hard. Speaking of sounding entitled, life is rough we have to all work for a living (most of us).

But economics don't change based on the profession, McDonald's employee, doctor, professional athlete.

Most employees are paid by the hour (clock in or clock out), or by salary (a set amount of money per year).

The patient doesn't pay the doctor, or even the hospital, their insurance company does. If you need surgery to repair an ACL, it is a price paid to the hospital by the insurance company. I can't comment on if the doctor gets a commission etc maybe you can shine the light on that. But I can tell you if after the patient wakes up if he asks to talk to the doctor for instructions, if he tells the nurse he feels like he is going to pass out so she checks his BP, or the orderly has to get him a bigger wheelchair because he wont fit in it, if the janitor has to clean up a mess because he threw up, none of those employees are (nor should they) have to pay an extra fee.

I love my job; im frustrated with patients who have the same mentality as you.

Your time isn’t worth anything, but their time is. Pay or go somewhere else. Simple

 

[qbkilla]

I love my job; im frustrated with patients who have the same mentality as you.

Your time isn’t worth anything, but their time is. Pay or go somewhere else. Simple

My time is worth plenty, my employer pays me well for it just like insurance companies pay doctors and lower level hospital employees. Maybe they don't like me because I rarely use the doctor so I'm not one to keep them in business?

But anyway sorry your patients frustrate you. Don't feel like you owe them anything just think of it as working and earning your paycheck.

 

[j4ever]

It sounds like your biased because your frustrated with your job, alot of us feel over worked and underpaid, im sure doctors and all medical professionals work hard. Speaking of sounding entitled, life is rough we have to all work for a living (most of us).

But economics don't change based on the profession, McDonald's employee, doctor, professional athlete.

Most employees are paid by the hour (clock in or clock out), or by salary (a set amount of money per year).

The patient doesn't pay the doctor, or even the hospital, their insurance company does. If you need surgery to repair an ACL, it is a price paid to the hospital by the insurance company. I can't comment on if the doctor gets a commission etc maybe you can shine the light on that. But I can tell you if after the patient wakes up if he asks to talk to the doctor for instructions, if he tells the nurse he feels like he is going to pass out so she checks his BP, or the orderly has to get him a bigger wheelchair because he wont fit in it, if the janitor has to clean up a mess because he threw up, none of those employees are (nor should they) have to pay an extra fee.

there is always a surgeons fee, like mentioned if you are unhappy with service go some where else that is your right, and if you have decent ins should be plenty of good choices in it, there is a competition between healthcare systems, they have advertisement campaigns and people that are hired for that purpose, your insurance pays yes but you brought the insurance with you when you went there, and you will have your portion to pay as well, you are not just considered a patient you are also considered a customer.

 

[Pissbrainiac259]

Lawyers have been doing it for years.!
With today's age of tele-confrence , tele-health and everything else that has prevented human to human contact the last couple years it's no surprise to me at all that they are changing for emails , prescription call in , and everything else

Gunsmith nailed it. Since the whole COVID pandemic lockdown BS, billing for tele-medicine (tele-health/virtual appts/etc.) has become a common and acceptable practice. No need to delve into the finer details of it all but based on the forced telehealth/telemedicine/virtual medicine and ICD-10/CPT/RVU changes implemented as a direct consequence of the COVID (former) "pandemic", it is very likely that this practice will remain with us for years to come if not indefinitely.

 

[qbkilla]

Gunsmith nailed it. Since the whole COVID pandemic lockdown BS, billing for tele-medicine (tele-health/virtual appts/etc.) has become a common and acceptable practice. No need to delve into the finer details of it all but based on the forced telehealth/telemedicine/virtual medicine and ICD-10/CPT/RVU changes implemented as a direct consequence of the COVID (former) "pandemic", it is very likely that this practice will remain with us for years to come if not indefinitely.

Spot on. The whole world is about time and money, health care now being operated like your local Amazon warehouse.

I'm all for private health care for profit as w capitalist but customers are going to ask questions when any company engages in shady billing practices.

 

[Pissbrainiac259]

Spot on. The whole world is about time and money, health care now being operated like your local Amazon warehouse.

I'm all for private health care for profit as w capitalist but customers are going to ask questions when any company engages in shady billing practices.

I'd look deeper into this billing b/c based on my personal experience, a lot of docs tend to overbill their clients knowing that statistically 1/10 of these insurance +/- patient bills will be called out for what it was: BS.

 

[marssel]

Doctors don’t work for you or anyone else.

Are you comparing an Amazon worker who’s trying to “sell” a product to a doctor who basically doesn’t need you at all.

You need him. If you don’t like it; find someone else and I promise you you won’t be missed.

Teachers get a salary which mentions in their contract all these extra things.

Nurses don’t step into a hospital unless they clock in.

You paying insurance premium has nothing to do with it. you’re not paying the doctor that premium; he’s an independent contractor.

You sound so entitled.. you remind me of all these patients that come to the emergency room thinking we owe them something.


This is the point.. you don’t like it, respectfully don’t use him. or just fuck off .. respectfully

I agree to a point BUT in the ER you are required to render aide to the best of your ability and though yes I hate people use the ER for basic care bc they are poor lazy scum you no more have the right to judge or deny care than I did as a Marine then and honestly even now to not defend the defenseless and fight for my country and against tyranny (which could be the politicians in my country) but point is doctors shouldn’t charge for a simple email but you’re right if you don’t like it get a new doc. When my athletes text or email during prep I don’t charge extra same with my non competitor clients if the pay for their sessions i answer their text and emails bc it’s good business. I don’t think they are entitled at all and I don’t think someone with a broken arm expecting ER personnel to do their fucking job, respectfully, well and quickly is at all a stretch.

 

[beastmode121]

I agree to a point BUT in the ER you are required to render aide to the best of your ability and though yes I hate people use the ER for basic care bc they are poor lazy scum you no more have the right to judge or deny care than I did as a Marine then and honestly even now to not defend the defenseless and fight for my country and against tyranny (which could be the politicians in my country) but point is doctors shouldn’t charge for a simple email but you’re right if you don’t like it get a new doc. When my athletes text or email during prep I don’t charge extra same with my non competitor clients if the pay for their sessions i answer their text and emails bc it’s good business. I don’t think they are entitled at all and I don’t think someone with a broken arm expecting ER personnel to do their fucking job, respectfully, well and quickly is at all a stretch.

No one is judging bullshit in the ER.. job security. Bring all the bullshit..

Pay me; I preform my duties I signed up for.

You CHOSE to not charge them; that’s on you. I know coaches that charge you for emails or texts.

an independent contractor like a doctor do not work for any insurance company. Matter of fact they can refuse you care based on your insurance and will not see you in their office

 

[marssel]

No one is judging bullshit in the ER.. job security. Bring all the bullshit..

Pay me; I preform my duties I signed up for.

You CHOSE to not charge them; that’s on you. I know coaches that charge you for emails or texts.

an independent contractor like a doctor do not work for any insurance company. Matter of fact they can refuse you care based on your insurance and will not see you in their office

I agree with you here, I wasn’t saying I think that doctors work for insurance companies. I will say this the quality of care is worth paying for, I’m a vet and I use VA for basic shit to save but the docs at the VA are so terrible that free isn’t worth it. I went from BC/BS in my 20s bc I wasn’t using it then I got hit by a mail truck and had to use the VA for major medical and it was so bad we decided to pay cash at a private hospital and now I have both. So if you’re young get insurance now, lock in lower rates bc leaving and coming back costs A LOT OF MONEY. Whereas paying like $100-$150 for a few years and not needing it much Will save you a lot more later and you can doc shop while getting labs and general shit which if your on gear you should be getting labs even if you’re 22 years old. Yea I know there are coaches that charge for every word that comes out of their mouths and I’ve seen a correlation between the ones that do and the better coaches that dont. Coaches imo with passion to win are busy worried about winning not how much they can milk a client for, I imagine it’s similar for doctors.

 

[qbkilla]

I agree to a point BUT in the ER you are required to render aide to the best of your ability and though yes I hate people use the ER for basic care bc they are poor lazy scum you no more have the right to judge or deny care than I did as a Marine then and honestly even now to not defend the defenseless and fight for my country and against tyranny (which could be the politicians in my country) but point is doctors shouldn’t charge for a simple email but you’re right if you don’t like it get a new doc. When my athletes text or email during prep I don’t charge extra same with my non competitor clients if the pay for their sessions i answer their text and emails bc it’s good business. I don’t think they are entitled at all and I don’t think someone with a broken arm expecting ER personnel to do their fucking job, respectfully, well and quickly is at all a stretch.

This.

And he is trying to equate going to a doctors office for an annual physical and calling the doctor to give him additional information you forgot to give him as running to the ER for a hangnail.

Can't remember the last time I was in the ER, lines are too long.