Billing for Phone Calls During CV19

There is a lot to unpack in this article:

Patients Are Being Billed For Some Phone Chats With Doctors That Used To Be Free

In a nutshell:

But in a fragmented health system — which encompasses dozens of insurers, 50 state regulators and thousands of independent doctor practices ― the shift to cost-free telemedicine for patients is going far less smoothly than the speeches and press releases suggest. In some cases, doctors are billing for telephone calls that used to be free.

So, the issues are:

  • Why are doctors NOT allowed to bill for their time?
  • Why do patients expect everything for free?
  • Will insurers pay for telemedicine?
  • Why do some doctors/employers gouge patients for these visits?

What’re your thoughts? Let the debate begin. But first, let me state that Direct Primary Care fixes the whole thing. The monthly subscription covers all telemedicine. The third parties are out of the mix and there is no patient confusion.

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