Any non-insurance reinmbursement in Rads?

[Oli]

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I'm a current ms3 trying to decide between Rads and Derm...one of the strong draws I have to Derm is the fact that they are able to do many procedures such as laser skin resurfacing and botox, etc..that are non-insurance and pay out of pocket for the patient due to the cosmetic nature. This allows at least partial freedom from the red tape and constant worries about Medicare reimbursement, etc. So far the only other field that has much of this freedom (that I have seen) is obviously cosmetic plastic surgery---- Are there any of these type of procedures available in the field of Rads, and if not, are there any on the horizon?? I just do not want to be constantly subjected to whatever price the government or private insurers decide to pay for my services in the future...any input greatly appreciated.

 

[Goober]

Well there are those whole body CT screening procedures 🙄 Unfortunately those are based on little clinical science and are probably going to fall by the wayside. They already have lost a lot of steam that they once had, because people are realizing that almost every study generates all kinds of additional studies for incidental findings that are probably benign. Virtual colonscopy and coronary calcification scoring also fall into this category and are sometimes included in whole body screenings, but I doubt you could base your practice around these studies. These represent a very small portion of studies that an average radiologist performs.

In general radiology is at the mercy of insurance companies and referring physicians.
🙁

 

[Resident Alien]

Two words for you: private practice.

 

[Goober]

Two words for you: private practice.

😕 I thought we were talking about private practice? 😕

 

[Resident Alien]

Sorry, it was directed to the OP.

 

[joshmir]

I have been told emphatically that licensed cosmetologists can do dermabrasion and botox. botox is hard to believe, but i have heard this more than once.

anyway, there eist many weekend training seminars for any md to learn cosmetic botox/skin resurfacing, so if you really wanted to you could always do that on the side. go into bidness with someone who wants to startup a salon/laser hair removal service and get their referrals. rads would give you the part time ability to do this.

 

[Pilot Doc]

Keep in mind that the derm accreditation powers-that-be keep the supply of dermatologists quite tight. This allows dermatologists to run a cash only practice for all treatments, not just cosmetics. Patients can submit the bill for reimbursement, but all the MD sees is cash on delivery. That is a HUGE financial advantage to derm.