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Every year we go through the proposed 30% cut in medicare reimbursement. Each year (so far) the cut has been "delayed".
If Medicare reimbursement goes down 30% (we currently break even on Medicare), I know of very few, if any, physicians who will see Medicare patients. Rather than go bankrupt, most practices would just close (I would close our practice within our multi-specialty clinic). We lose money on EVERY Medicaid patient. We only take Medicaid patients collected on call. Nearly all of them are dismissed within a few months due to non compliance, "dirty" UAs, or seeking controlled substances from multiple providers.
Such "mandates" for practices to accept patients they do not want is both unconstitutional and defies logic.
To add to this, my friend owns a pharmacy and due to all of the mandates over the last couple of years he can't wait to sell it. He's been required by Medicare/medicaid to sell drugs at a LOSS and is struggling to make ends meet.
One new mandate requires him to sell certain drugs AT COST then pay for the bottles,label and labor himself.
Another one is diabetic test strips. Reimbursement for those is about $100 less than it costs him to fill the prescription.
Business cannot operate at a loss and stay in business. What's has been happening and will continue to happen (with pharmacies at least) is all the small ones will all be run out of business and the big 3 will be the only ones left in control of it all.
Competition? Yeah right.
many of those on medicare/medicaid have no idea just how little it pays for their treatments. I worked in a day surgery center which for each days session employed 3 RN's and a RadTech plus the doctor and myself (receptionist/scheduler/biller/coder).
Some of the patients would turn up, stand outside and have a smoke wander into the waiting room and put on their sad face and tell me they couldn't afford the $3 co-pay today. OK so not all smoked some drove up in brand new cars, some were carrying expensive 'coach' handbags ... but still in an average day with 8 patients scheduled I would be lucky if I could get 2 or 3 patients to pay the $3. They then went through and over the course of 2 hours tested, monitored, taken to the OR for their procedure and then monitored and tested afterwards.
These procedures were Epidural Steroid Injections into the spine and the average amount we billed for this was $8,000
Medicare/caid paid $357. So each Medicare/caid patient we saw was a loss for the practice, some days out of 8 patients 4 or 5 would be medicare/caid. That doctor has suspended his list, he no longer takes any new Medicare/caid patients as he just can't afford it.
A doctor is in business just the same as a lawyer or has been mentioned a plumber, he is a skilled professional whom deserves to be paid for his work.
To add to this, my friend owns a pharmacy and due to all of the mandates over the last couple of years he can't wait to sell it. He's been required by Medicare/medicaid to sell drugs at a LOSS and is struggling to make ends meet.
One new mandate requires him to sell certain drugs AT COST then pay for the bottles,label and labor himself.
Another one is diabetic test strips. Reimbursement for those is about $100 less than it costs him to fill the prescription.
Business cannot operate at a loss and stay in business. What's has been happening and will continue to happen (with pharmacies at least) is all the small ones will all be run out of business and the big 3 will be the only ones left in control of it all.
Competition? Yeah right.
Your friend is either lying, or talking about HUGE quantities of diabetic test strips, as you can buy 50 for as little as $7.99.
With medicare/medicaid you can't just go to some random website and buy stuff. There's that mail order website that advertises on TV all the time, that's where he's sending 'em now as it doesn't pay to stock the strips and they sell 'em for less than he can get 'em for.
Before calling someone a liar one might want to actually KNOW what one is talking about.
With medicare/medicaid you can't just go to some random website and buy stuff. There's that mail order website that advertises on TV all the time, that's where he's sending 'em now as it doesn't pay to stock the strips and they sell 'em for less than he can get 'em for.
Before calling someone a liar one might want to actually KNOW what one is talking about.
I do know what I'm talking about. Diabetic test strips are inexpensive, and your friend can get them wholesale, not retail. I can't believe he spends more than $100 per bottle of strips typing a fricking label.
If you're a doctor you have a license from the state that enables you to make more money than people in almost any other occupation. For a doctor to refuse Medicare or Medicaid patients is just immoral.
So charging enough to cover malpractice and repay loans and grants to become an MD is immoral?
Why should I not get treatment and or have to pay skyrocket costs because this person chose that profession ? I dont think so .. they chose that profession not me and I refuse to pay higher rates because that person chose this profession .
Then go to a free clinic..................if you can find one.
Want to get treated by a doctor, then pay him/her what they charge..................or suffer.
So let's try to do some real math for a change instead of using the Venezuelan spoutings of the pimp in the white house. Together we can find out what is really going on!
So how much to physicians contribute to the total cost of our medical care?
I do know what I'm talking about. Diabetic test strips are inexpensive, and your friend can get them wholesale, not retail. I can't believe he spends more than $100 per bottle of strips typing a fricking label.
Ahhh, well there you go... Most people by them by the BOX as in not just 50 at a time and usually get multiple boxes.
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There's that mail order website that advertises on TV all the time, that's where he's sending 'em now as it doesn't pay to stock the strips and they sell 'em for less than he can get 'em for.
