WTF?

[embeth]

Has anyone had to have medical records transferred from one doctor to another and been charged for it? I could kind of understand being charged a fee for getting a copy of your own records or even charging a nominal fee per page for copies, but .60/page? WTF!

WTF indeed.

Comments

[aly_monster]

Yeah, we've had to deal with fees before. Also, some of the places I've worked have charged fees. Typically, it's supposed to be a deterrent for obnoxious Insurance companies who want copies of the damn file versus a one page Superbill. Sure, some places charge a nominal fee for the patient, but $.60/page is, um... *steep*.

I'd call that a "Lazy Clerk Fee", myself.

[embeth]

This is the digital age. Why can't they juts make digital copies? Srsly?

Ugh. Medical professionals and the bottom feeders that capitalize on them never cease to annoy me.

[aly_monster]

You and me, both! It makes me SO glad that I'm an office of 1.

[shawnaree]

Well, here's the way outrageous fees were explained to me:

The office worker who has to copy your medical records gets paid probably around $10/hr. Your medical records can be anywhere from 10-100s of pages long, depending on how long you've been going to this particular doctor.

The office worker has to get the files-- not always stored in the main office-- and then make copies, one page at a time. Some of those pages are double sided. Some will need to be darkened or lightened, depending on handwriting and other aspects. Then they all need to be fastened, put in an envelope, and either placed in a safe location for your pick-up, or sent on to the next person.

Let's say, an hours' amount of work, for about 20 pages, plus the cost of paper. So it costs your doctor's office about $10-12 to copy your files.

20 pages, at sixty cents a page, is about $12. Works out even.

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Now, I don't know that this is right or wrong. All I know is, this is how it was explained and it makes a small amount of sense.

[embeth]

Srsly? That's some slow-ass xeroxing.

[shawnaree]

Dude, the copier at my old doctors office was about 10 years old. Slow as fucking molasses.