J
JR
I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how far ahead of graduation one needs to apply for medical license? 9 months? A year?
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9 months is really a pretty good target as long as you know to which state you will be applying for licensure. Each state has very different requirements for documentation and occasionally additional testing requirements for licensure.
The sooner you can get started the better. Also, if you are going into private practice you will need a medicare number as well. This can take quite a while and I think that it can only be done once you are licensed.
The sooner you can get started the better. Also, if you are going into private practice you will need a medicare number as well. This can take quite a while and I think that it can only be done once you are licensed.
J
JR
Thanks for your reply. In addition to medicare provider number, how else do you know which insurance companies to get on the panel with? Do you talk to local ophthalmologists in the community or is there a website for that?
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Which panel of insurers you choose to try to accept payment from depends primarily on the panel of insurerers your future partners accept from, as you should at least be on board with their payors. If you are going into solo private practice right out of residency (and good luck to you if you are) then your idea of finding out the main providers in your neck of the woods is appropriate. Again, license first, then medicare and payor organizations.
Good luck to you JR, and congrats on entering your final year!
Good luck to you JR, and congrats on entering your final year!
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Start now JR. First license, dea if you don't have one, state drug number if required, medicare, also now every one is going to NPI (national provider number). Once you have these at the same time apply for every carrier you in your area, starting with major ones. At the same time apply for hospital priviledges to the hospitals in the area you will be moving to.
If going solo, Contact hospitals, if they have no eye guy, but have the equipment they may be will ing to help you. In a major city that's impacted forget about it. For a lot of the carriers and medicare you need to have your practice address, or you will have to do a change of address. change of address equals pain in the but with medicare. but at least you have one year to collect from them. Also when you first get out, the more cash services you provide, the easier it will be to make payroll at first. Insurances have a terrible lag time. Botox, optical, fillers, cosmetic blephs, multifocal IOL's on medicare patients who you can fill for the cataract later will help you make payroll. Don't hire a tech off the bat, unless your volume dictates it. You don't need much more than a receptionist to help you, teach them billing, and optical, and screening. When you start you will need a VF, keratometer, immersion A scan, and a fundus camera. Don't be tempted to go for the 60k fundus, that does angiography, buy something that works and takes good pics, can get a film camera for pennies on the dollar compared to a digital. use it for a year and you can pay for the digital then.
If going solo, Contact hospitals, if they have no eye guy, but have the equipment they may be will ing to help you. In a major city that's impacted forget about it. For a lot of the carriers and medicare you need to have your practice address, or you will have to do a change of address. change of address equals pain in the but with medicare. but at least you have one year to collect from them. Also when you first get out, the more cash services you provide, the easier it will be to make payroll at first. Insurances have a terrible lag time. Botox, optical, fillers, cosmetic blephs, multifocal IOL's on medicare patients who you can fill for the cataract later will help you make payroll. Don't hire a tech off the bat, unless your volume dictates it. You don't need much more than a receptionist to help you, teach them billing, and optical, and screening. When you start you will need a VF, keratometer, immersion A scan, and a fundus camera. Don't be tempted to go for the 60k fundus, that does angiography, buy something that works and takes good pics, can get a film camera for pennies on the dollar compared to a digital. use it for a year and you can pay for the digital then.
