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Re: Dilemma #3

> And what about insurance companies?  We'll get reimbursed when a company
> requests complete records for the purpose of determining insurability
> when a family applies for a new policy, but what about when a company
> requests office notes to determine benefits for one or more office
> visits?  Especially if it's a contracted PPO which can sit on the claim
> forever until they get the requested information.

It should be spelled out in your contract whether you can charge for these or
not.  Most plans won't pay for such copies.

> Regarding referring a family to a new doc before a move:  I really don't
> know pediatricians outside of L.A., so I'll copy a page from the AAP
> directory if asked, but that's not much different from looking for "FAAP"
> in the local yellow pages.  I usually suggest asking a family member or
> friend in the new area, and if they don't know anyone I suggest they
> start looking around quickly.

When a parent is moving to an area where they truly do not know anyone to
call for suggestions about a pediatrician, I recommend they call the closest
major hospital in the area where they will be living.  Ask to talk to the
head nurse on the pediatric floor, or if the hospital is not big enough to
have a pediatric floor, the floor where most of the children are admitted.
Ask her or him one question: if your kids were really sick, who would you
take them to?  I find that the nurses in the hospital who work with the
physicians know better than anyone else who are the most competent,
communicative, available, etc.  Several of our former patients have told me
that this has worked very well.

Ken Setter MD
Tulsa, OK