unpaid copay fees

does anyone charge patients a "fee" $10-$15 for those patients that do not pay their copay at time of service? How is anyone handing those patients that do not come prepared to pay their copay?

co-pay

When I worked in California the doctor would refuse to see the patient without their co-pay (unless it was an emergency). We would send them down the street to the ATM. If they continue to forget their co-pay you can report them to their insurance company. Not complying with the co-pay rule can them them dismissed from their plan.

This is a topic better suited for Sermo

Be careful who you turn away. Send out a patient without being seen and if things go bad you are liable. For a routine follow up I occasionally turn them away, especially the Medicaid patients who have a $2 copay (who does not have $2???). Other option is to hand them an envelope with our address on it (no stamp) and tell them to mail the copay within 24 hrs. I don't like the ATM idea- their appt was at 10 am; at 10:30 when they get back I am busy with other patients

copay

Yes, you can charge an administrative fee for patients who don't pay their copays at the time of service.

Copay charge

We charge a fee of $5.00 per month on unpaid co-pays. This has worked pretty well for us. If I send out a statement, it's written right on it that we charge $5.00 after 1 month outstanding. Nobody has complained about it and everyone has paid on time.

copay

I am new to this site and have a question. Is this something that varies from state to state? I am an office manager in Alabama and we have several patients who make a habit of not paying their copay and it cost more in postage and statements in the end than the copay would have probably covered. I think this would be a good rule to implement but just wanted to make sure it was ok to do so. Also, do we need to have them sign a form at the time of service letting them know if its not paid there will be a charge?

copay

I think the best place to start is with your insurance contracts and/or your provider rep for each insurance. They usually mandate the copay collection, since it's part of the fee and they don't want you to waive it. They might be able to provide some assistance about what is allowed for patients covered under their contract.