Trend: More medical practices require same-day deductible payment

"Practices are able to collect more aggressively...because software that can estimate final patient charges is...taking the mystery out of what a patient truly owes."

Okay, let me see if I have this straight:

I'm an insured patient; I have a set copay. Using this software, my care provider can tell in advance how much they will receive from my insurer in addition to my copay, giving said provider a much better picture of their accounts payable going forward, I would imagine.

Therefore, my provider is going to charge me the full cost of the service up front, because they can.

Granted, prying payments out of insurance companies is an odious task, and the cost of the administrative support involved is considerable.

But do these people really think that the savings in admin-assistant wages is going to make up for the loss in revenues from the vast majority of their patients going elsewhere (or choosing not to get care at all)?

Because patient attrition will be staggering. Who (in the working and middle classes, anyway) has the cash to cough up hundreds of dollars every time their kid has the sniffles, or the time and energy to devote to dealing with their health insurer's bureaucracy -- not to mention the knowledge of the system that comes from dealing with it every day?

Which of course is the point.

It's the insurance companies providing the software.

They know that if the burden of collecting from them falls to the consumer, fewer claims will be filed; those customers who do file won't be nearly as efficient at working their way through the process.

The insurance companies will save millions in payouts that they couldn't otherwise weasel out of, and make millions in interest on funds they're holding on to longer.

It's brilliant.

Whoever came up with it should be sentenced to death by a million paper-cuts.

I think you are missing the point here. Let me give you an example. Lets say your deductible is $2,000, your procedure, with the insurance company's discount is $750 (negotiated rate) therefore, in this instance, your provider can charge you $750. Keep in mind, this is what you owe so regardless of whether your doc charges you up front or after they submit the claim to the insurance company you still owe $750.
George Durko

Ah, sorry, I'm a bit of a newbie to the field...thanks for the clarification.