Fee versus payment
Jack,
Hope you're doing well. I was wondering about the surgeon's actual reimbursement. The fee for my ADR was north of $10K, but insurance only paid him around $2K. I called his billing office to see if he had discounted me or given me any advantage. Their reply was "no, that's about what we usually get for a single level ADR." Wow! I mean, I'm in medicine and I'm very much involved in the business side, and I couldn't believe that 3 hrs from prep to closure and 3 post-op visits were only worth $2K of a total PAID amount of close to $50K.
So tell me again, how does lowering physicians' fees significantly lower the cost of medical care?
-tc-
__________________
L5-S1 rupture 11/04, left leg pain for 2 wks
Regular exercise/pain-free until 2007
L5-S1 degen. disease w/constant pain since 6/07
PT, ESI, SI jt injections, 3-level nerve root inj. x 2
Massage, heat, ice, TENS, etc
L5-S1 Charite Jan. 19th, 2009, very happy w/decision
New back pain in upper back though.
|