I went to the doctor today, and they now take payment before they see you.

[raccoon]

An office assistant asked me my co-pay. Usually I pay $50 something for a regular office visit.

So...I paid that before I saw the doctor. I'm not complaining; luckily I'm able to pay it.

Boy, times are hard.

[Fumesucker]

1. The most important medical procedure in US medicine..

The Wallet Biopsy..

:eyes:

[tabatha]

2. It has always been like that for our doctors.

As long as I can remember. Pay first, see doctor second.

[EFerrari]

8. Our doctors used to send bills up to the mid 70s or so.

They were payable in 30 days. Then, we were asked to pay after the visit. Since some time in the 90s, we're asked for our billing before seeing the doctor.

[OhioChick]

3. They've been taking your co-pay here prior to seeing you for at least a decade n/t

[RebelOne]

11. The same here, I had to stop by the front desk first,

show my insurance card and submit my co-pay.

[taught_me_patience]

4. Why would they ask afterward?

They already received the treatment and if they don't pay, there is no good way to collect the money.

[Fumesucker]

5. When I could actually go to the doctor..

I never paid before the visit, it was always on the way out..

[IndyPragmatist]

16. Maybe this doctor has a problem with people paying bills...

I don't know the situation, but this is probably the reason. As you mentioned, times are tough, and I'm sure they have seen an increase in the amount of people not paying their bills. If making people pay before the visit keeps the doctor from raising prices, I'm all for it.

[Fumesucker]

26. That's OK, those who can't pay will just go to the ER..

Where it costs a *lot* more..

And they still can't pay the even larger bill.

You'll end up paying more one way or another and if they go to the ER it's going to cost you even more.

[taught_me_patience]

28. The OP was referring to a co-pay

which is most likely $10-$20. You'd be surprised how many people don't pay if you mail them the bill. My wife is an MD and I've seen billing collection rates... abysmal.

[Fumesucker]

34. I understood that..

And you'd be surprised how many people have a job with medical coverage and don't have $10-$20 for the copay.

[madmom]

6. The "specialist" my husband see doesn't even ask your name, just your

birth date so they can pull up your billing info, before you get to the check in desk.

[Xithras]

7. Yep. My doctor recently stopped billing.

My doctor is part of a small group, and they used to provide an option: "Would you like to pay today, or do you want to be billed?"

That option was removed some time in the past year. You either pay upfront, or you aren't seen. When I asked about the change (I always just had them bill me), the nurse just shrugged and said "People stopped paying."

Sign of the times, I guess.

[RevStPatrick]

9. But will they take the copay in chickens?

That's the next step in Republican future dystopia-world.

[Javaman]

10. Yes they do...

I had a procedure on Friday. Pay up or no help.

No more trying to hunt you down, they just turn you down before it starts.

I'm waiting for the time when they run your bank and credit records before even seeing you.

We had health care reform, right? oh wait, that was health insurance reform, we the people really didn't get anything.

[Horse with no Name]

12. Yeah they have been doing that for awhile here

part of it is to make sure they get their money, but part of it is also to expedite the process. You have to check in...and if you pay then, you don't have to waste your time checking out.

[tammywammy]

13. My doctor's been doing that forever now. n/t

[Ishoutandscream2]

14. Co-pay up front

Always have to do it. Proud to be Amurcan!

[dixiegrrrrl]

15. Knock on wood....I still get sent a bill.

Which I pay within 30 days.
And, we are paying off a hospital bill, every month, NO interest. The billing dept just asked how much we could pay a month, I told them, the bill comes every month.
Same with the Dr. bills from the hospital...no interest, pay what you can a month.

Love our small Southern town way of doing things.

[xmas74]

33. I know someone who actually barters with a local physician.

The doctor is younger, still settling in. The barterer does all the yard work for the office, some handyman work, etc. In exchange they've set up an IOU system of sorts-he does manual labor and the doctor treats him and his family for minor ailments.

It works beautifully.

[sufrommich]

17. My doctor has done that for years. nt

[WinkyDink]

18. I think it's a matter of efficiency: Pay when you sign in; leave whenever.

[PassingFair]

19. I got a "Physician Loyalty Program" card in the mail over the weekend....

It allows me to go to a different WAITING ROOM if
I have to go to emergency, plus a bunch of other
perks.

I'm quite alarmed by this card.

I don't like the idea of me having separate
and probably not equal medical care.

The "Guest Relations associates"?
"Concierge Services"?

Separate entrance?

Private rooms?

Even a PRIVATE DINING ROOM!

I'm afraid that we WILL get a two-tiered system
in this country, and I don't want the fact that
I have health insurance to put me in the "top tier".

I want quality health care for EVERYONE, not a fucking
PRIVATE DINING ROOM.

<rant off

[closeupready]

20. I thought the same thing on a recent visit. It was just like, wow, what do people do?

who don't have health insurance??? :(

[DearAbby]

21. Doctor here took a signed blank check and held it

until after services rendered, that point I was wheeled back to the desk to fill it out.

Recently broken my ankle. No Insurance.

[Romulox]

22. Vampires. nt

[Tracer]

23. Every time I went to my first series of chemotherapy...

... I was required to pay $500 up front each time. What was I supposed to do, walk out the door?

When the 10-page bills came in, that $500 was never listed.

I called the billing company and asked the manager why not.

He gave me the most asinine excuse that I've ever heard in my life: "It takes up too much paper". (This is a bill that had line items for .10 bags of saline).

I also questioned the doctor's office manager, but never got an explanation. I suspected that they were balance billing (not legal in MA) but couldn't prove it.

They stopped doing it after I made those inquiries. I could also be completely wrong about the whole thing.

(Let me also say that my doc is terrific, and his staff is wonderful --- and I'm doing well).

[guruoo]

24. My Dentist (AspenDental) is doing that too...

A quick Google has turned up past complaints of double billing....

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&xhr=t&q=AspenDental+double+billing+copay&cp=32&pf=p&sclient=psy&safe=off&site=&source=hp&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=AspenDental+double+billing+copay&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=e4d813b43c7d221c

[Igel]

25. Mixed here.

GP asks for copay up front.

Specialists ask for copay after consultation/visit is over.

Hospital asks for copay up front.

[Mimosa]

27. They've done that here in ATL for YEARS!

I guess it's -ummm- efficient.

[Philippine expat]

29. Between the wife and I

we see 5 Drs on a semi regular basis, 1 requires payment before you are seen,
2 require payment before you leave and the other 2 bill us

[Dappleganger]

30. It's been that practice in NE FL for years.

At least 8 years at my doctors and specialists.

[Systematic Chaos]

31. Not to hijack this thread, but the OP reminded me of an experience I had about 10 years ago.

I had an HMO with a convenient in-house 24-hour quick care a number of years back. Visits to that quick care were pretty cheap, too -- and since I was prone to attacks of bronchitis much too often back then, I was glad to have that option.

Since I didn't choose when to get sick, if I found myself in a rapid decline and didn't have enough for the co-pay, I would go to the clinic anyway. They'd bill me and by my next payday I dropped off my payment. But about 3/4 of the time I had no issues paying on my way out the door.

And then there was this one day when I was very low on money but got so sick that my voice was completely gone and my chest felt like it was on fire. I had to be seen and barely had enough to cover my medications.

I politely asked the lady at the desk that afternoon (whom I never saw there again) to bill the co-pay ($25 I think), and you would swear that I squeaked some horrible threat out of my ruined throat instead. This woman fed me a lecture, loud enough for the whole lobby to hear, which lasted until I finally just turned my back and walked out. As sick and stressed as I was I barely made it to my car before I just broke down and cried.

Sometimes you just can't wrap your head around how dispassionate and mean-spirited people can be no matter how hard you try.

[Hannah Bell]

32. been that way for ages here. i'm thinking i was doing that in the 90s.