A growing number of medical doctors are using computer programs than can immediately access a patient’s health insurance information and let the medical practice know what the patients co-pay rates is. With this information, called ‘real time claims adjudication,’ medical doctors are asking patients to pay those costs at the time of service…a.k.a remember to make an ATM run before next medical check-up.
This new practice makes financial sense for medical doctors. The economy is affecting the medical industry too. Sometimes being fiscally efficient and proactive may be the only way medical doctors can stay open and see patients. About 13 percent of physicians revenue comes from the patients themselves, according to the Access Project, a health insurance research group. And that 13 percent is likely to rise as more consumers choose lower-premiums and high-deductible medical insurance plans ? which requires people to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars before their health insurance will activate.
A traditional medical practice contacts the health insurance company and then bills the patients 40 days after the visit. About 30 percent of those bills go unpaid. The typical labor cost for sending out one bill is between $8 and $15 dollars, according to Dr. Dev GnanaDev, president of the California Medical Assn. and chief of surgery at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California.
