The changes, effective Oct. 20, address billing practices, patient consent and handling of credit card payments. While the changes target price transparency, they also affect billing processes.
Here’s a breakdown of the key changes:
1. Separate consent forms:
Physicians now must separately secure the patients’ consent for treatment and consent for payment, meaning practices must create a different form specific to each purpose.
Consent for payment can be obtained only after the treatment has been provided and after the costs have been discussed so patients have a full understanding of financial obligations before agreement to pay
2. Credit card payments
The budget also introduced regulations regarding the use of credit cards for payments to physician practices.
Physicians are banned from requiring patients to preauthorize a credit card before delivering emergency or medically necessary services. Physicians also must inform patients about the risks of using credit cards to pay for medical services.
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