Reply to Related to health insurance question - Why can't we comparison shop for medical care?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In MD the hospital rates are set by the state.

Regardless, there isn't even consistent pricing with a single provider.  Which prices do you want to compare?  Insurance A contracted prices? Insurance B? Retail?  Cash on;y discount?  Medicare?
[/quote]

And correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that MDs even know what things cost.  I mean they might know in the ballpark or weather is covered by the insurance, but that kind of stuff is left for the billing folk.[/quote]

^This is why many have pushed for business school like training for MDs. Running a practice is no different than running a large business. You need to know how to balance a budget and provide good care while minimizing the risks.[/quote]

I think that's why they hire office managers and have accountants.  I disagree that they need to be jacks of all trade.  They need to practice medicine.[/quote]

For large practices that is true. For a single primary care provider with a nurse or two it may not be financially feasible to hire an office manager. [/quote]

In that case billing shouldn't be all the complicated.  And I still think it's prudent to hire an accountant.[/quote]

Accountants are always good, but trust me medical billing is so complicated its actually a profession. Each insurance company has its own codes, procedures, etc. So not only do you need to know how it works, but you'd also need to know how each insurance company needs bills and paperwork prepared. It's extremely time consuming and one reason several doctors have moved away from private practice. They'd rather have a parent group (e.g. Johns Hopkins, Kaiser) handle their medical billing.[/quote]

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