Can doctors charge an annual fee?

If your medical practice has been avoiding annual payments for uninsured services, you should think about it again.

Patients can pay fees to family and specialty physicians for administrative services that are not covered by provincial health insurance.

As an alternative to á la carte pricing, several practitioners offer their patients the option of paying an annual fee for their uninsured services. It’s also known as a block charge because it covers a predetermined set of uninsured services for a year.

Annual fees are not required by all practices. According to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Open in 2020, just around one out of every five family physicians in Ontario offers an annual fee option.

There are, nevertheless, several benefits for both patients and providers. Doctors Services also simplifies the process of establishing and monitoring an annual fee scheme.

It will not be paid by any of my patients

Doctors Services would go out of business if this were true! Patients tell Doctors Services that there are two main reasons why they pay an annual fee rather than pay for uninsured administrative services on a fee-for-service basis.

It’s practical. For many patients, paying a single annual charge is preferable to dealing with many invoices. This is especially true for patients who anticipate using a large number of non-covered administrative services throughout the fee period.

Patients are considerate of their doctors’ time. Patients frequently tell Doctors Services that they pay their physician’s annual fee out of respect for their doctor’s work. Some patients are aware that administrative services consume time and resources from the employees.

Patients will bombard my office with inquiries

If this were true, medical practitioners would have long since abandoned annual payments!

Yes, if your office is offering an annual fee for the first time, you will undoubtedly receive inquiries from people seeking additional information.

However, in the experience of Doctors Services, there has never been a deluge of requests. Most essential, our phone number is included in the yearly fee letter that Doctors Services delivers to patients on your behalf. As a result, we receive the vast majority of calls.

Doctors Services has the staff and knowledge to spend as much time with your patients as they need to discuss and answer questions about the annual fee. Your employees will be able to concentrate on what they do best: providing medical care.

Furthermore, after the first year of implementation, your patients are familiar with the cost, and the number of calls drops naturally. Every year after that, the number of calls continues to decrease.

Myth No. 3: It takes too long to administer.
Doctors Services isn’t doing its job if this is true!

Doctors Services is responsible for 95% of the administration of your annual fee program. We take care of the grunt work so you don’t have to. The following are some of the advantages of our service:

Annual fees collected should be reported to your practice on a regular basis.
Access to our online tools in real time.
The ability to generate invoices for patients who haven’t paid your annual fee but have incurred a price for an uninsured administrative service.
Are you ready to think about establishing an annual fee? Request a free audit and let Doctors Services show you how a thorough annual fee scheme may be built for you.

To discuss your medical needs for Concierge Medicine in Las Vegas NV  with a female board certified internist call 702-850-22422 today.