There is a doctor practice in town that has been finding reasons to get rid of patients they don't want. It all came out in the paper. They don't like patients who are too complicated or timeconsuming, they get rid of anyone who changes insurance, they don't take Medicaid. I had one patient who told me that she was fired from this practice, the reason given was that she was rude to the receptionist. This patient was a very nice woman, I was really surprised about that. Other reasons being given is when patients live too far away, yet we live far away and I was encouraged to sign our family up there.
Meanwhile, the practice is recruiting new patients. In fact, I had approached the head of the practice about switching our family there because I was dissatisfied with the clinic where we were going which was bought by the hospital where I work and I didn't like the way they were doing things.
Ironically, this practice in known as an all Christian practice, that was one thing I liked about them since they pray for their patients. We haven't gone there yet, but we were accepted as patients. Now I'm worried that if any one of us ends up with chronic problems, we'll get fired as well.
I'm sorry, but I think it is very sad and disturbing to hear that you can refuse care to a patient because of being on medicaid. Are they not human beings just like the rest of us. Providers should not be able to refuse treatment due to coverage.
Yes healthcare has become a business, something has got to change.
I'm sorry, but I think it is very sad and disturbing to hear that you can refuse care to a patient because of being on medicaid. Are they not human beings just like the rest of us. Providers should not be able to refuse treatment due to coverage.
Yes healthcare has become a business, something has got to change.
Just my 2:twocents:.
Thankyou for your post.What I have read in the preceding posts about Medicare/ Medicaid patients not being accepted by many doctors and the generalizations about those who recieve Medicaid/Medicare has truly made me sick at heart.
I will be on Medicare as soon as I am approved for SSDI.
Despite being disabled, I believe I still have worth as human being, I worked for almost 30 years as a nurse, put my kids through private school and college as a divorced mother of four children. I have been a good patient , I do not seek care for frivolous reasons. If I just up and died so as to not be a burden on the oh so hard working deserving able bodied folks, my kids and grandkids would miss me, so I guess I will stay alive and mooch off of the government dole, like the rest of the bloodsucking leeches of society.
We truly need COMPREHENSIVE health care reform, and soon.
Thankyou for your post.What I have read in the preceding posts about Medicare/ Medicaid patients not being accepted by many doctors and the generalizations about those who recieve Medicaid/Medicare has truly made me sick at heart. I will be on Medicare as soon as I am approved for SSDI. This is all the more reason for COMPREHENSIVE health care reform.Despite being disabled, I believe I still have worth as human being, I worked for almost 30 years as a nurse, put my kids through private school and college as a divorced mother of four children. I have been a good patient , I do not seek care for frivolous reasons. If I just up and died so as to not be a burden on the oh so hard working deserving able bodied folks, my kids and grandkids would miss me, so I guess I will stay alive and mooch off of the government dole, like the rest of the bloodsucking leeches of society.
I hope you do not run into this type of behavior when you are seeking medical care.
How sad is it that this actually takes place here in America. I feel very strongly that healthcare should be a given, not a privilage. I know there are those out there who abuse the system, but the majority do not. I resigned from a private practice who turned patients away on a consistent basis, even from their urgent care clinic. I just couldnt handle telling someone, no insurance, no money, no treatment.
Sorry I feel like I am ranting, which I am not intending to do. I just feel very passionate where this is concerned.
Here, a doc must give the patient a 30-day notice in order to "fire" them. I've seen it happen for all the right reasons (abusive, drug seekers and the like). Firing a patient simply because they switch insurance or go on Medicare/Medicaid is unethical, IMO.
I was told that for every Medicare dollar spent on pt care, a particular clinic gets 30 cents of that dollar. If a practice has a large amt. of Medicare pts. who are consistantly no-shows for appts. or non-compliant and it can be documented, then something needs to be done to protect those who ARE compliant and show up, etc. Follow up with social worker, transportation help...
We had a doc who got dial-a-ride to pick up a pt. for dialysis and she would stand on the other side of her door and not answer the door coz she didn't want to go that day. The dialysis clinic called the doc and his office called her at home and she told them she didn't want to that day, she was okay. So she shows up in ER via ambulance later on...
No matter what is done, some people just don't care who they inconvenience or who else it affects. So some steps have to be taken to protect the majority.
docs have staff to pay, office rent/utilities, a family to support, education loans to pay off - i doubt if staff will volunteer to work w/o pay for x days a month
yes this is about money but that is what we all expect when we go to work
the cost of lab, x-rays etc is the same for clinic if the patient pays or if medicaid eligible
most mds in the area will accept medicare [federal] and medicaid [state] but too often only the newest mds who are out on their own are accepting these patients
the older more established mds and those younger ones who join a ongoing clinic are more and more
limiting their practice to insured and self pay
i wonder how univesal coverage will handle something like this??
I was told that for every Medicare dollar spent on pt care, a particular clinic gets 30 cents of that dollar. If a practice has a large amt. of Medicare pts. who are consistantly no-shows for appts. or non-compliant and it can be documented, then something needs to be done to protect those who ARE compliant and show up, etc. Follow up with social worker, transportation help...
We had a doc who got dial-a-ride to pick up a pt. for dialysis and she would stand on the other side of her door and not answer the door coz she didn't want to go that day. The dialysis clinic called the doc and his office called her at home and she told them she didn't want to that day, she was okay. So she shows up in ER via ambulance later on...
No matter what is done, some people just don't care who they inconvenience or who else it affects. So some steps have to be taken to protect the majority.
I have no problem with physicians letting go patients who are non-compliant. Perhaps if more did so...
It is sad that for some Medicaid/Medicare is not appreciated and is abused.It makes it so hard for those who would be compliant and responsible patients. What I would have given to have been covered by Medicare/Medicaid these last 19 months Ive been waiting for my SSDI approval. In all this while of being uninsured I have not, nor ever would consider using the ER for medical care, that is the utmost LAST place I would want to find myself.
docs have staff to pay, office rent/utilities, a family to support, education loans to pay off - i doubt if staff will volunteer to work w/o pay for x days a month
yes this is about money but that is what we all expect when we go to work
the cost of lab, x-rays etc is the same for clinic if the patient pays or if medicaid eligible
most mds in the area will accept medicare [federal] and medicaid [state] but too often only the newest mds who are out on their own are accepting these patients
the older more established mds and those younger ones who join a ongoing clinic are more and more
limiting their practice to insured and self pay
i wonder how univesal coverage will handle something like this??
From what I understand of healthcare reform is that it will be an affordable insurance offered through more than one company and that the premiums will be based on income level. Also insurance companies can not deny coverage regardless of pre existing conditions. You will not lose your insurance coverage if you lose you job. It all sounds good to "my pee brain".
There needs to be an overhaul of the healthcare system. I know that doctors need to pay expenses, but it should not be at the expense of the patient.
Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, IM, OB/GYN, neuro, GI.
The MD office that I use to work at would discharge patients all the time. It was OB/GYN and the only time's patients would be discharged were if an OB patient didn't come in within 60 days of her last appointment, refused treatment (pertaining to abnormal paps), and the MD did stop being a provider for a major insurance company so those patients were discharged. We would send two letters one certified and one through regular mail (just in case they didn't sign) stating that they had 30 days to call the office to schedule an appointment or they would be discharged from the practice. That they could get there med rec's from us if the choosed but it would be a dollar a page up to 5 then 25 cents a page (state law) or if they found another MD they could request med recs that way and there would be no charge. IF anything happened within those 30 days the MD HAD to treat that patient. Even with the letters patients would still call to make appointments 6 months after the fact thinking it was only regarding the problem from their last visit.
As for the MCD/MCR thing. The MD only took MCD if the patient was pregnant or if it was secondary insurance (usually if MCR was primary). There were also types of MCD that we wouldn't take because of the P.I.T.A. rules those insurances had.
The thing that I don't understand is when the MD's say that the only reason they don't accept MCD/MCR is because it either doesn't pay well, takes to long to be reimbursed, or it requires to many auths/pre certs for procedures.
Any procedure/ office visit that was done MCD/MCR would reimburse the most reguarding the contract amount. All other insurances (BCBS, Aetna, UHC, Humana) would pay anywhere from 80%-90% of what MCD/MCR paid. To get a pre cert/auth from one of the major insurance companies was harder than getting one from MCD/MCR even for a delivery (they would get denied by the major insurances. I think they thought the baby could just stay in the womb forever.) Masses were the same the major insurance companies wanted the mass to be a certain size or have been bothering the patient for a certain amount of time before surgery was approved. MCD/MCR faxed a form waited 48 hrs called them up and you would get the auth # if they hadn't already faxed it back to you.
If these MD's/PA's/NP's are having trouble with being reimbursed from major insurance companies (MCD & MCR have a set amount for the entire state) they should renegotiate their contracts the next time so they can be reimbursed more.
As long as we live in a free society, I think that MDs should be able to choose who they will and won't treat in their private practice. For whatever reason that they choose, as long as it doesn't violate the law.
If they are affliated with a hospital and required to take call, then it's just the luck of the draw if they get a patient that is acceptable to them.
Little Panda RN, ASN, RN
816 Posts
I'm sorry, but I think it is very sad and disturbing to hear that you can refuse care to a patient because of being on medicaid. Are they not human beings just like the rest of us. Providers should not be able to refuse treatment due to coverage.
Yes healthcare has become a business, something has got to change.
Just my 2:twocents:.