I have just finished reading Dr. Nasrallah’s editorial about pre-authorization. I agree with everything he said, but I do have a couple of comments:
1. Many of our colleagues do not accept insurance because their practices operate on a cash basis. This seems to obviate the problem of pre-authorization, and suggests that if we truly want to get rid of pre-authorization, we should get rid of insurance.
2. In practices that do not accept insurance, some patients may be filing their own insurance claims. Do you have any information on this approach? Are patients able to apply pressure to their insurance companies? Do patients get frustrated with their insurance companies and pay cash, rather than trying to negotiate with their insurance companies?
Katherine Hankins, MD
Private psychiatric practice
Omaha, Nebraska
Disclosure: The author reports no financial relationships with any companies whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.
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