Guest guest Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hello all- I am practicing in Oregon and am wondering if anyone knows where to find legal information about what type of discounts are allowed in the state. I believe in CA, you can not charge different amounts for cash patients vs insurance patients, but it seems like this is a pretty common practice in Oregon. I also know many practitioners offer discounts for multiple visits paid in advance. I just want some document I can read that tells me whether this is a legal practice and what the fee-scale rules are. Thanks! Ariel -- Five Seasons Women's Wellness 840 Lawrence Street Eugene, OR 97401 www.FiveSeasonsWellness.com (541) 515-6446 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Ariel, my understanding is that the old Oregon Acupuncture Association solicited a legal opinion that was posted on the website for a while, but it's no longer there because the association changed. The gist is that you can offer discounts but they have to be reasonable and consistent, meaning do not negotiate with individual clients according to need, instead have a policy and apply the policy. Several discounts are allowed. You can offer discounts for cash payments if they are proportional to the cost of billing, meaning about 10%, or so. You can also discount specific times of the day, such as before 2 , or every Tuesday, etc. We should not offer discounts to the elderly, because it's essentially age discrimination. If you want to offer a sliding scale, it was suggested that you announce on the disclosure that you offer that, and then ask clients to fill out a sheet, such as how much income, how many people in the household, etc. and then tell apply a consistent fee schedule.. My understanding is that if you NEVER bill insurances, it is unlikely that anyone cares,eg the working class clinics do stuff that is not within the range of those guidelines, but nobody has an interest in it changing. Pre-payment is tricky. As far as I remember the legal expert we consulted said, that if you keep it small, and to a specific condition, it's ok, but you should not ask for a large amount that is banked for the client to be used as needed. I offer a quit smoking program for $150 for up to 5 treatments if needed, and it's prepay, but that's all I do with it. There is no money back if the client does not want the treatments after the first one. Regards, Angela Pfaffenberger, Ph.D. angelapfa www.InnerhealthSalem.com Phone: 503 364 3022 - Ariel Solomon, L.Ac. Chinese Medicine Tuesday, October 13, 2009 10:10 AM payment plans Hello all- I am practicing in Oregon and am wondering if anyone knows where to find legal information about what type of discounts are allowed in the state. I believe in CA, you can not charge different amounts for cash patients vs insurance patients, but it seems like this is a pretty common practice in Oregon. I also know many practitioners offer discounts for multiple visits paid in advance. I just want some document I can read that tells me whether this is a legal practice and what the fee-scale rules are. Thanks! Ariel -- Five Seasons Women's Wellness 840 Lawrence Street Eugene, OR 97401 www.FiveSeasonsWellness.com (541) 515-6446 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 To determine the actual legal answer to these questions when I had them, we approached (via telephone) the office of the attorney general for the state in which we practice. I asked direct questions and received direct answers. In Indiana, there is no law prohibiting prepays, it is perfectly acceptable to offer " book-keeping " savings for single payments over multiple payments, BUT it is NOT LEGAL to charge significantly different prices based on who pays for the services (patient or their insurer). Your situation is likely to be somewhat different if you practice somewhere other than Indiana (most likely the case). Mark Zaranski East Wind Acupuncture, Inc. www.ewacupuncture.com Chinese Medicine , " Ariel Solomon, L.Ac. " <ariel wrote: > > Hello all- > > I am practicing in Oregon and am wondering if anyone knows where to find > legal information about what type of discounts are allowed in the > state. I believe in CA, you can not charge different amounts for cash > patients vs insurance patients, but it seems like this is a pretty > common practice in Oregon. I also know many practitioners offer > discounts for multiple visits paid in advance. I just want some > document I can read that tells me whether this is a legal practice and > what the fee-scale rules are. > > Thanks! > Ariel > > -- > > Five Seasons Women's Wellness > 840 Lawrence Street > Eugene, OR 97401 > www.FiveSeasonsWellness.com > (541) 515-6446 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.