SHOULD PATIENTS PAY MORE THAN A REGULAR OFFICE VISIT FOR THEIR CERTIFICATION?

[CFO]

I have a wonderful doctor who never charges extra for my certification of my qualifying condition but I have many friends who tell me they have insurance (usually Medicare and Medicaid) but yet their doctors charge them up to $250 to complete their paperwork. IMHO these so called doctors should lose their license!!! This is extortion! The ones that accept cash only are also probably not reporting this income which makes it tax evasion as well. These "doctors" have decided that they are entitled to a piece of the action. BS!! The medicine is not covered under insurance and very costly right now. The patient shouldn't be raped by their doctor too. If the doctor is listed as a provider on the patient's insurance plan and the patient goes in for an office visit and the doctor routinely files insurance claims for his/her other patients for all other reasons, they should NOT be charging "cash only" for signing a piece of paper!!!! I think it is time to report these "doctors" to the NM Board of Medicine and the IRS. At the very least, the patients who are being asked to pay cash should refuse to do so. They should insist the doctor submit their office visit to their insurance carrier as they normally would and be able to use a credit card if they don't have the cash to pay the co-pay. Am I wrong?

CFO Reviewed by CFO on 12-27-2011. SHOULD PATIENTS PAY MORE THAN A REGULAR OFFICE VISIT FOR THEIR CERTIFICATION? I have a wonderful doctor who never charges extra for my certification of my qualifying condition but I have many friends who tell me they have insurance (usually Medicare and Medicaid) but yet their doctors charge them up to $250 to complete their paperwork. IMHO these so called doctors should lose their license!!! This is extortion! The ones that accept cash only are also probably not reporting this income which makes it tax evasion as well. These "doctors" have decided that they are Rating: 5

[alfonso2002]

No CFO you are right again.But lets look at it from the patients point of view.They NEED that doctors recommendation so just like the added fees that were add for a PPL If you want to play you have to pay.I too have to have 2 recommendations but am I guess one of the lucky ones that has a doctor that has compassion and did not try to rape me when I asked for his rec.As far as reporting them if we did that soon you would not be able to find a doctor to do recommendations so I think we are already in the pan not a good idea to jump in the fire.

[CFO]

It's a shame the doctors who are participating in extortion have forgotten they are supposed to be compassionate simply by the profession they chose. I suppose the only solution would be for the NM Board of Medicine to issue a prohibition from charging an outrageous fee simply to sign a piece of paper. At least there are a few compassionate doctors still practicing in Santa Fe. NMNM sends out information in their newsletter regarding a few doctors who will have office hours at NMNM for renewals. The only problem I see with this is that I thought the patient and the doctor are supposed to have a "relationship". And now I hear some doctors who previously signed no longer will do so. Such a shame.

[alfonso2002]

Yea we are in a no win situation here till cannabis is rescheduled to a Class 2 drug or the government dose what is right and allow regulate and tax it. Don't really like the tax part but would pay.