Being Crystal Clear.
Some things are just not worth it, in my opinion. Feel free to ask, but the answer is "NO" It isn’t maybe. There are no shades of grey. The answer is always “NO”. I’m not saying “no” and winking at the same time. My fingers are not crossed. I take that back, please don't ask... It’s uncomfortable. It’s awkward beyond words. It is also illegal.Insurance fraud. I will not, under any circumstance, go there. I don’t care if we are old friends. I don’t care if you have connections and will refer a ton of people to me. I don’t care that you can do some arbitrary favor. Let me tell ya’, if there was ever a situation where I would commit fraud, it’s not gonna' be for a check from an insurance company for less than $50. For better or worse, I signed a contract with your insurance company in order to be able to accept your insurance as payment. While you may not think of these requests as fraud, they are. Here are some of the requests that I have had in the last year:
- Can my spouse/friend come in for an appointment with my prescription?
- Is it possible for you to bill for extra sessions and not charge me my copay?
- Will you waive my copay?
- I can’t make my appointment today, but can you just bill my insurance company?
- I haven’t met my deductible, is there anything you can do to waive it?
- Can I just get a full-body relaxation massage, or just a reflexology treatment?
Here is the problem.
- We cannot bill an insurance company for work that we did not perform.
- We cannot waive your copay.
- We can only provide the care to the person with the insurance and prescription.
- We must treat the area listed on the prescription for the condition listed as your diagnosis.
I realize that there are massage therapists that will do all or some of these things. It is unethical behavior and it makes me a little sad and quite angry. A “quick buck” here is not worth compromising my ethics or my future.I hope that not everyone realizes that what they are asking in illegal and unethical. I don’t think that is necessarily true in all the situations. I just want to provide the best possible treatment to help with the medical condition that is bringing you to my office. Insurance can be sticky and icky as it is; please don’t make it even ickier! If you do have questions about insurance, you can call them directly or give me a call to see if I know the answer!Remember, all prescriptions must include a diagnosis, frequency of treatment, and the duration for your treatment. I have a bit more information about insurance here.#21 in the 31 in August blogging challenge.