How do you find out if your doctor is treating you under the capitation payment method or fee for service? Will your insurance carrier tell you? Will the doctor’s office tell you?
Either your insurance carrier or your doctor should be willing to provide you with this information. Capitation payments are typically associated with HMO plans, if your doctor or his medical group is assigned as your primary care physician. Fee-for-service payments are typically associated with PPO or indemnity plans. If your doctor is part of your insurance carrier’s network of providers, the fee-for-service rates are pre-negotiated and discounted rates from what they would pay to a non-network physician. This is why insurance companies usually pay a smaller percentage of the bill from non-network providers and usually require a higher deductible as well.
Answer by moderator — June 22, 2009 @ 10:32 am
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