Healthcare is changing! Whether you want to believe it healthcare is a business and you are the customer. The way they make money is to bill time and tests. Each week someone in accounting runs numbers to see how many patients the doctor saw, what tests were ordered to create additional income and what level of service was billed to the insurance. This is the way they make money. Don’t misunderstand - I truly appreciate our doctors and I believe they have genuine concern for my daughter but she is a revenue source and the longer they spend with us and the additional tests they order create revenue.
True story – I’m a recruiter. The way I make money is to find just the right candidate to place with my client and my client pays me money for finding the person. Over 10 years ago I placed a Practice Manager at a very large dental office. Each morning the entire staff arrived at 7:00 to review the patient files for the day. That sounds wonderful doesn’t it? The purpose of that meeting was to figure out what recommendations they would make when the patient arrived to bill additional fees. Now that sounds harsh! Seriously- the lady I placed in the job was so disturbed by this daily meeting that she ended up quitting.
When it comes to your healthcare – you have to manage your own case and control the expenses. Tests are not cheap and it’s an easy way for doctors to increase the revenue stream that the executives are watching weekly. Be sure to question the purpose of the test and what the test will offer you in terms of solutions. Don’t just show up and agree to more and more tests. Lastly, the “follow up” visits they schedule before you leave - ask yourself are they really necessary? This is another way for them to bill you more time. Why do you need a follow up? Can the follow up be handled through email exchange assuming the patient is better? Something to think about…
True story – I’m a recruiter. The way I make money is to find just the right candidate to place with my client and my client pays me money for finding the person. Over 10 years ago I placed a Practice Manager at a very large dental office. Each morning the entire staff arrived at 7:00 to review the patient files for the day. That sounds wonderful doesn’t it? The purpose of that meeting was to figure out what recommendations they would make when the patient arrived to bill additional fees. Now that sounds harsh! Seriously- the lady I placed in the job was so disturbed by this daily meeting that she ended up quitting.
When it comes to your healthcare – you have to manage your own case and control the expenses. Tests are not cheap and it’s an easy way for doctors to increase the revenue stream that the executives are watching weekly. Be sure to question the purpose of the test and what the test will offer you in terms of solutions. Don’t just show up and agree to more and more tests. Lastly, the “follow up” visits they schedule before you leave - ask yourself are they really necessary? This is another way for them to bill you more time. Why do you need a follow up? Can the follow up be handled through email exchange assuming the patient is better? Something to think about…
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