Medicare from the Doctor.

In a recent article called, "Tough Hard Decision: What to do about Medicare", Dr. Ron Lambert talks about a different view concerning Medicare. By now we know what Medicare is, who uses it, and how to get it, but we never hear from the other side, the Doctors. In his article Dr. Lambert discusses the pros and cons of owing a medical practice and accepting Medicare as one of the providers. Lambert has been using the electronic medical records system in which a computerized medical record is created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office. Electronic medical records tend to be a part of a local stand-alone health information system that allows storage, retrieval and modification of records. He is now considering "opting-out" from this approach and wants to start charging his patients on a month to month subscription for his services.

Why the change? Well its plain and simple, he wants more money. By having his patients pay a monthly subscription he can charge what he wants for certain procedures and not what Medicare tells him he is going to receive. Although, he does know his possible downfalls if he strays away from Medicare. One of the downfalls is that when you opt-out, Medicare doesn't let you back in for two years. So, if his plan fails he won't be able to run back to gain his patients back. He does also know his benefits of going a different route. One the benefits is direct billing. Instead of having to bill the patient, then bill the insurance and wait for their approval the send back, he is getting paid directly by the patient.

We never look at the trouble Doctor offices have to go through to make some money. Should Dr. Ron Lambert stray away from the system and do things different? Or will his venture in the the unknown world of charging patients directly prevail? He is still contemplating his decision but speaks about his life concerning Medicare is the video.