More evidence of their physician-unfriendly tactics. They are going to fine physicians who don’t use their preferred lab service:
In January, United, which has 2.1-million members in Florida and about 800,000 in the Tampa Bay area, ended its contract with Quest Diagnostics Inc., the giant Lyndhurst, N.J., lab company, and signed an exclusive national agreement with Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings of Burlington, N.C.To enforce the change, the insurer has taken the unusual step of threatening doctors with a $50 fine if they refer United’s members to Quest. The penalty takes effect March 1.
(via Lab Soft News)
Related posts:
- Patients are the reason why Partners HealthCare is so strong
- UnitedHealth twists the knife in the backs of physicians
- UnitedHealth leading the way on the medical home?
- UnitedHealth vows to be nicer to physicians
- How UnitedHealth plays hardball
- "The big reason behind the lack of primary care docs is the fact they get paid sh*t"
- UnitedHealth on hip resurfacing: "We have no idea what that is"
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Not only that, but they (UnitedUnhealthcare) refuse to pay for any in-office lab tests done by the physician in his own office lab. Its time to circle the wagons fellow MD’s and drop out of all HMO’s, particularly UnitedUnHealthcare.
Do a quick analysis of your practice:
How many of your patients are xyz?
How much of your practice money comes from xyz?
Most docs quickley realize that a large patient volume makes up a small portion of the practice $
As long as you accept how they treat you expect to be treated poorly.
They can only do this to you as long as you are stupid enough to sign a contract with them. I no longer feel sorry for doctors stupid enough to sign away their freedom, and then complain about being treated like a serf.
People die for freedom, it is certainly worth losing a little business.
very simple. All doctors shuold stop selling their soul just to get a “Pool” of patients. Rahter than crying about it after the fact, jsut imaging WHO would select Unitedhealth, employer or employee if their ACCEPTED lsit if doctros is about the size of a leaflet. If your a new doctor, don’t get on their panel. If you already sold your soul, reevaluate if you really need their patients and then sign off on teh plan (or at least refuse to accept more). If you dependent on their patients, than it’s tougher, but you can wean off. Take a course, add some ancillariesw to your practice, or add some procedures for your medicare base and you can make up the lost revenue.
I’m starting my own practice but I will NOT follow what prior generations of docs did and jsut sign up indiscriminatly. I will moonlight, I will have my partner work, I will take a loan. But I WILL Build my practice carefully. It is my practice afterall, not any insurers.
That’s why I don’t deal with insurers. It’s harder, but the payoff is much better medicine.
Even if they are a huge part of your business and you can’t replace them with other business, then get a smaller office space and reduce staff to reduce overhead, see fewer patients, and spend the extra time with your family.
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