Please explain medical billing.

[mrfordy]

Somebody please explain doctors fee's please. Ive just had several appointments with my doc and paid the fees there and then. The receptionist then 'transmitted' to medicare. In the post i recieve 3 cheques made out to my doctor. Is this correct as i was thinking i would recieve some money back. I did actually for an Echo stress test which cost $700, i got $350 back.

Did i pay a reduced fee at the doctors and medicare paid the rest to make the full amount??.

 

Thankyou!! :smile:

[JoandJon]

It's difficult to know without seeing your bills / knowing what you paid - I'd give the clinic a call and check with the receptionist.

 

They'll be able to tell you what the story is..

[ali]

I was charged for some blood tests that should have been bulk billed because the path request form also had some genetic tests that weren't covered. I filled in a claim form and they sent me a cheque for those bulk bill items made payable to the pathology dept and I payed the remainder.

 

When it comes to Dr's. I pay the fee and they do an automatic transfere at the surgery and am reimbursed directly to our bank account.

[devon67]

also check with medicare about what is covered, i think for some things you get a certain percentage back and should be paid to you

[blossom]

I don't understand the billing at all. I go totally out of my way to a bulk billing dr to avoid all that.

[Bound4Tassie]

What is bulk billing?

[scuffythetugboat]

Bulk billing is what the medical practitioner does to Medicare. Each procedure or item such as a doctors appointment has what is called a schedule fee which is the amount of money that medicare will pay for each item. For example, my doctor charges $60 for a visit, l pay the $60 and claim back $35(l think) from Medicare. So a visit to my doctor costs me $25.

 

A bulk billing doctor or any other medical practitioner only charges the Medicare fee for each procedure so you do not pay anything providing you have a Medicare card.