> Eve- I asked a general surgeon that I sort of know and he said that though > you may always charge you might not always get reimbursed. The insurance > companies have lists of what surgeries they will pay an assistant for and > which they feel do not require an assistant. An exception would be if your > hospital bylaws say that an assistant always needs to be present. The > surgeon should be able to provide you with the billing and diagnosis codes. > In our area assistants charge 15% of the surgeons fee. I hate the OR and > the blood and guts- there is no way you'd get me in there even for 150% of > the surgeons fee. Do you really think it is important for the continuity of > care? Best Regards- Kim Burlingham, MD rural Texas. Aaahhh...now that makes sense. You're right, I wouldn't be suprised if I didn't get reimbursed since it was just a herniorrhaphy. No big deal. I think that parents feel reassured that their pediatrician is actively involved in correcting a diagnosis that they made. I think parents also appreciate that I took the time away from the office (or in this particular case, my day off) to be involved in their child's care. Sadly, I think surgeons also forget about pain control in pediatric patients or they are just not comfortable prescribing narcotics to children. It always falls upon me to write a prescription for pain meds after the surgery on the little ones. Eve H. Switzer, MD rural peds