A Physical Therapist's Rant

Either I need a Smart Phone or maybe third party payers need a Smart Phone.  I'm wondering if a Smart Phone can answer my questions better than a provider representative.

For example... George Clooney requires physical therapy services AND he just happens to choose me as his physical therapist to provide the services he requires (okay a girl can dream).  Let's just happen to say that George really isn't as financially secure as he is and I happen to be a provider that is out of network for the services he requires.  George understands that he might have more financial responsibility choosing out of network, but what would be the approximate financial difference between in network and out of network?  Good question... that's where a Smart Phone comes into play!

If you speak to a provider representative, the response might be for example 30%.  Asking 30% of what leads to an "I don't know."  Asking what the fee schedule is for out of network providers also leads to an "I don't know."  Asking how to determine subscriber liability for an out of network choice leads to, "subscriber liability is determined when a claim is received."  So, subscriber liability can only be determined after the submission of a claim?  Hmmm... here's your Smart Phone.

Subscribers are actually customers of third party payers.  Provider representatives are pretty useless in assisting their customers how to choose care.  Is there any other business out there that doesn't concisely respond to questions with regard to cost?   

photo by nobsato via Flickr

Selena