Open Letter to Medicare Patients From San Antonio Orthopedic Specialists
To our Present and Potential Patients:
First and foremost, both Drs. Harris and Broome see and care for patients whose insurance is Medicare every day. They are every bit as much a part of our family as every other patient. Yet there is some information we would like to share with you about why we do not file to Medicare.
The law that brought Medicare into existence in 1965 specifically prohibits the government from engaging in the practice of medicine. Unfortunately, each year, the government becomes more involved in the day-to-day care of individual patients. Guidelines and reporting requirements increase; often to the detriment of the patient. The individual patient becomes lost in the amount of paperwork that must be filed. In order to continue to provide each patient with state-of-the-art, personalized care, Drs. Harris and Broome have both opted out of the Medicare program. Participation in Medicare is voluntary; both of us have opted to focus on the patient, not the paperwork.
What does this mean for you as a patient?
An opted-out physician does not accept Medicare as insurance. Meaning, we will see Medicare patients, we will just not file to the insurance company for reimbursement. You get many benefits when your care is provided by an opted-out physician.
Your treatment is customized to fit you, and not a government-defined population. Physicians who accept Medicare as insurance need to spend time collecting information that has no relevance to your orthopedic issues. Then, they must spend additional time completing forms and sending this information to the government. The opted-out physician can instead spend this time with you, the patient.
We also respect your privacy. You can always see your own medical records, but nobody outside of this office will see your records without a subpoena. The Medicare provider must transmit your personal information to the government.
Next, care directed by an opted-out physician to a Medicare provider is covered by Medicare. So, for those who require special tests, or who have opted for surgery, the imaging centers, hospitals, physical therapists, anesthesiologists, etc. are all covered by Medicare in the usual fashion. Only the opted-out physician is not covered. Our services are provided on a fee-for-service basis under a Medicare Private Contract. If you’ve not already signed one, please do so now.
In closing, we promise to do everything in our power to provide personalized, excellent service at an affordable price. We believe that there is value in that. We hope that you agree.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Adam I. Harris, M.D. and C. Brandon Broome, M.D.