, such as copays and deductibles, now that federal regulators have eased the rules for certain kinds of plans to improve telehealth benefits, says Brian Marcotte, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, a coalition of very large, mostly self-insured employers.
David DeKeyser, a marketing strategist in Brooklyn, N.Y., sought a physician's advice via video after coming in contact with someone who attended an event where coronavirus was detected. The office charged the whole visit — $280, not just the copay ― to his debit card without notifying him. Catherine Parisian, a professor in North Carolina, says what seemed like a routine follow-up call with her specialist last month became a telehealth consultation with an $80 copay.
With such a sharp increase, it's not surprising that insurers and physicians are struggling to keep up, says Circle Medical CEO Favvas. "It seems like such an unnecessary risk to take," VanSickle says."If we can't do wellness visits, we're surely not alone."
Shame on you, NPR. Shame.
Garbage journalism
NPR, maybe you should do an article on all the ways insurance companies make bank off our backs... and how they deny reimbursements. Also.. ANY phone interaction requires our expertise AND exposure to liability. It's not just a 'chat.'
This is what happens to public news when they depend on private corporations as their sources. Of course Kaiser Health didn’t interview even ONE doctor in private practice for this piece. They don’t care about representing our story. That’s not their goal.”
“First of all, when a professional gives their advice regarding a medical problem it is a “consultation” and not a “chat.” If we were sued would it be considered a “chat” or would it be medical advice consult? I’m guessing the latter. I’m disappointed in NPR.”
“Note: this “article” is written by Kaiser Health News. NPR has become increasingly dependent on this group for their health “articles”. They are very anti-private practice. That is what this piece is about. Their agenda is for a Kaiser-type of health care system.
I bill like normal for telemedicine visits but....bracing for that deluge of claim denials sure to come.
“For this article, they interviewed patients, a CEO, and an insurance company lobbying group. Did they interview a doctor? No. This isn't journalism, it's trash with slanted or missing editorial oversight.” KHNews jayhancock1
The title of this article is irresponsible. 'Phone chats' are actually telemedicine, and require significant preparation and work. Consider interviewing a physician for their perspective next time. Check out what other docs are saying Covid19Docs
Lawyers charge for every phone call and we don’t bat an eye. Physicians have very little negotiating power with insurance companies, and many are facing bankruptcy with no bailout during this crisis. Please stop doctor bashing,
Up until now doctors have spent previous hours answering patient calls for free. It takes up hours of time each week. Do you believe we don’t deserve to be compensated for our time and dispensing?
I pay hundreds per phone calls & e-mail to an attorney. We face medical legal liability for advice given over phone. We leave school in deep debt, train for years making minimum wage, but you can’t abide that we be compensated for knowledge dispensed over the phone? Outrageous.
It's so easy to bash doctors because our medical system points to the workhorses and expects them to work for free while executives continue to get pay raises. This article is horrible!
Ah, yes, let's screw over the poor, yet again, with vigor!!
Or your headline could say, “Physicians, facing bankruptcy and possibly having to close their doors due to the COVID crisis, are no longer able to provide free medical care to their patients and must charge for services that they’ve previously been expected to provide pro bono.”
why not have web sight you give all your symptoms run it thru computer free if anybody gave a sh=t
Seems not every health care worker wears a cape... some seem to be clearly just businesses.
Cause they care ...
Doctors making it all about money in America? No way!
They tried to get me for a prescription refill.
Fix our health care system please!
This pandemic is really exposing what's broken in our country... well to the extent that has been broken ... healthcare is truly a mess here.
This will continue to happen in a for profit medical system because this is America and it is what we do, make money. And it works, for the vast majority of industries but it doesn't work for healthcare and prisons. We should not put a price on human life.
Prime opportunities for insurance fraud. The chaos and high stress allows for lax internal controls. Good accountants must answer the call of duty.
And the Teledoc Doctor spends less than 30 seconds with you and hangs up and doesn’t listen to your medical issues! Then you have to call back and get another Doctor Who will listen. So you’re paying double copayments, this is a sham going on right now.
Oh hell no!
It's not a crime to watch someone drown or watch someone suffer for the sake of a coin.
Doctors college tuitions aren’t paying for themselves. Ugly truth.
I can state for a fact that my physician did not do this for my recent telecare annual. I live in Iowa and I am on Medicare plus United Healthcare. Key word is 'some' not all.
And this is why we will not really know how many cases that are out there. cantaffordhealthcare
universal health care is needed by our country now.
Teledoc appts also are charged the same amount as an in-person visit, right BonSecours ? Gotta make that profit during a crisis, you know...
What a crap medical system. One of the worst in the world.
Well is a business and business is all about profits.
Single payer would eliminate this. There are too many factors that make the policy of not charging the patient out of pocket costs very difficult to implement. An insurance claim can pass through 4+ different companies before it's actually paid
If one thing has become even more evident during this crisis, our healthcare system is fundamentally broken.