Price Lists

 

When people travel overseas, they may hear some cautionary statements about avoiding scams as tourists including:

• Don't hire taxis without posted fares.
• Don't dine in restaurants that do not post menu prices.
• Don't shop in stores that do not have priced merchandise.

Fairly straightforward: if the price list isn't posted, beware--at the very least. 

For some reason, people suspend critical thought after crossing thresholds at physicians' offices. 

Is there a price list posted?  Not that I have seen.

Prices for 15-minute appointments vary by insurance carriers and by physician type.

Prices for 15-minute appointment with insurance can be very different from the price offered to patients without insurance-cash payers.

In fact, if an appointment runs long, physicians and billing administrators charge different amounts including submitting a bill for two appointment times in order to bill a larger percentage of the clinician's time. 

How much does a blood draw appointment cost in specialists' office? Do all of these hidden prices and costs matter? 

They do. 

All of these costs add up to an annual maximum for coverage in some cases and lifetime maximums in other scenarios. 

Do we now have to track those numbers?

Probably.

So, consumers must understand, track and manage:

• Copay amounts per visit
• Do you have an updated and accurate insurance card?
• Are you seeing a specialist, generalist, urgent care, or ER? Hope you know the difference. It isn't always obvious.
• Is the physician inside your network or outside your network?
• Bills that arrive after visits
• Due to insurance denials
• Coverage changes or 
• Percentages reimbursed to each physician's office
• Due to billing errors
• Annual coverage maximums
• For medical insurance
• For dental insurance
• Changing prescription purchase prices
• Due to contract changes invisible to patients
• Due to pricing changes by pharmacies

Fairly straightforward: if the price list isn't posted, beware--at the very least.