Could I give a patient a discount for a medical procedure if I am a practising physician?

[r7p3]

Could a doctor give a treatment or consultation for free? How would the finances work in a discount? If there is a 100% discount then would the doctor have to pay the hospital for resources? Being a premed, I don't know much about the financial aspects of clinics.
Who would the doctor have to contact in this situation?
Thanks

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[Instatewaiter]

Realize there are many more charges than just the doctor's fee. Most of health care costs are not actually doctor's fees but rather hospital/facility fees, charges for the equipment used in a procedure and the like.

For instance for a cardiac cath, the cardiologist will charge about 125 bucks. The hospital however will charge 2000 and the stents and catheters may cost another 1000-2000. Your hospital may not allow you to wave the other fees so the patient saves 125 bucks but still gets charged 4,000.

TLDR: Yes you could wave your treatment fee but you may not be able to wave the hospital/facility fee or the charges for the equipment.

 

[gyngyn]

If you accept Medicare, you cannot charge anyone less than you charge Medicare.

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

If you accept Medicare, you cannot charge anyone less than you charge Medicare.

Yes you can, but it was to be done a certain way and there is a limit to what you can do.

You can have a self-pay discount policy as long as it is in writing on your initial paperwork. Beyond that, its generally agreed upon to give no more than a 20% discount below the Medicare Rates (that's what the local pathology group's lawyer discovered).

 

[Crayola227]

if you talk to the hospital sometimes they can work out how to make it a charity care case

if no hospital involved, you can volunteer in various free clinics and that can be an avenue

 

[r7p3]

if you talk to the hospital sometimes they can work out how to make it a charity care case

if no hospital involved, you can volunteer in various free clinics and that can be an avenue

So what would the hospital do for a charity case?

 

[Crayola227]

So what would the hospital do for a charity case?

I don't know, I imagine there's write offs.

I just know it happened at my hospital, not how.

 

[r7p3]

if you talk to the hospital sometimes they can work out how to make it a charity care case

if no hospital involved, you can volunteer in various free clinics and that can be an avenue

I didn't know free clinics existed. Might try researching that.

 

[deleted480308]

you're at least 7 years from any of it mattering and we could all be dead or living on the moon by then....I wouldn't worry too much about working out the fine details of this

 

[Den Jospeh]

If dental procedure is costly, you can offer discount to retain your patients.