How often may we change the prices we charge for our services? Are we required to send anyone a written notice when we change our prices? How can we speak with patients who are more concerned with cost than quality of care? Can we offer a discount for “payment on the same day of service”? Should we give a patient a copy of our price list when it is requested? Can a doctor offer lower prices to a patient with insurance who pays for their services immediately and files their own insurance claim? Can a doctor create special pricing if all family members are treated at the same time? Can a doctor offer a plan in which the patient makes a monthly payment and an individual or a family receives unlimited chiropractic care? Can a doctor offer a pre-payment discount? What is the proper way to give a same day payment discount? Can a doctor offer lower prices to patients without insurance who cannot immediately pay for their services? Can insurance companies arbitrarily determine UCR rates? If I delay my billing will insurers pay for more of my care? Can we waive co-pays or deductibles to be competitive? What are the problems in waiting to collect until the patient has been released from care? What do I do if an attorney signs my lien or a fee protection agreement but then gives the settlement check to the patient before paying my balance due? Can you tell us some of the factors that go into setting a doctor’s price? Should we be intimidated when an insurer tells the patient not to pay more than the reimbursed amount? We have patients that do not have insurance. May we offer them a discount? Must we take back the same day discount if the patient delays their payment? Can we compensate for low prices by using higher level E/M or CPT codes? May we offer a rebate to patients who do not have insurance for their acute care? Can we give discounts based on the amount or frequency of care? Must I document a patient’s financial hardship before offering financial assistance? May we offer extended payment plans? Is a doctor allowed to have more than one price list? Are there any special laws we have to follow before we offer financing to our patients? Can we offer payment plans tied to when a patient is paid? Does the state publish suggested notification language for a late charge? Once a late charge has been added to a patient’s account, do they have the right to take as long as they want to pay their balance? Why would a patient complain or sue us if we overlook the late charge law and allow them to continue to add to their account even when it is past due? What is the maximum amount we may add to a patient’s account as a late charge? We set an interest rate below 12%. May we raise the rate? What are the major differences between finance and late charges? What is the potential problem when a doctor offers a “cash discount”? Are there any special requirements before we add finance charges? May finance or late charges be charged to a patient with an overdue worker’s compensation account? Does the state require us to have anything in writing before we charge interest or finance charges? May we add a late fee to the patient’s bill without notifying them? Does a monthly statement that include interest charges meet the states disclosure law? May we add interest to overdue personal injury cases? What are the requirements for a credit application? What is the purpose of a “Marital Agreement Notice”? Where did the concept of Usual, Customary and Reasonable Payment (UCR) come from? Can I give the patient a receipt for “list price” when they received a discount? How do we know if an insurer calculated UCR correctly? How do we challenge a UCR decision? Why should we always bill at our “list” price? Should we ever ask patients to bring in a payment rather then waiting for them to mail it? Are there penalties for doctors that violate the interest/finance charge laws? If I deposit the check the doctor receives from the insurance company, are we giving up our right to fight the reduction of our charges? Can we balance bill the patient for the amount the insurance company reduced our fee? How do I get my doctor from making financial arrangements with patients? Are collection agencies more expensive than using staff? How do we enforce our policy that discounts may only given if the patient pays on time? Can we call patients to remind them of payment due dates? Is there any way to screen potential patients to determine if they are likely to pay their bills? May we question the age of the data used by an insurer to calculate UCR? Do form letters work as well as phone calls for past due accounts? Should we suspend collection activities if a patient has a dispute over their bill? Must I bill the managed care company for the care related to an auto accident? Are plans that reimburse on a relative value basis more fair than other types of reimbursement? Can a managed care company use different conversion factors for MDs? Can a managed care company have me sign before I know what I am going to be paid? Are there any “general rules” that I should use as I review a managed care agreement?
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