Fri. Apr 26th, 2024

Most of you know that to have anyone in your practice older than 65 then you have to opt out of Medicare? Why? Who the hell knows? The ironic part is that you are NOT ripping off the government because you are not billing them when doing DPC. In fact, you are saving the government money not only by not sending those bills but because you are giving better care to these elderly patients. But I digress. I started to hyperventilate. Sorry.

Moving on. Remember, you only have to opt out of Medicare one time and then you are done. This changed in 2015 when at that time you had to do it every two years or they would just pull you back in like Michael Corleone in Godfather 3.

Just remember that you cannot moonlight seeing Medicare patients if you opt-out so make sure you are ready. When you are then go to this guide from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. They do a great job on how to do this step-by-step and even has form letters for you.

Do you have any practice tips to share? Great. Hit the submission button on the menu or email us.

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By Douglas Farrago, MD

Douglas Farrago MD is board certified in the specialty of Family Practice. He is the inventor of a product called the Knee Saver which is currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Knee Saver and its knock-offs are worn by many major league baseball catchers. He is also the inventor of the CryoHelmet used by athletes for head injuries as well as migraine sufferers. From 2001 – 2011, Dr. Farrago was the editor and creator of the Placebo Journal which ran for 10 full years. Described as the Mad Magazine for doctors, he and the Placebo Journal were featured in the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the AP, and the NY Times. Douglas Farrago, MD received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Virginia in 1987, his Masters of Education degree in the area of Exercise Science from the University of Houston in 1990, and his Medical Degree from the University of Texas at Houston in 1994. His residency training occurred way up north at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. In his final year, he was elected Chief Resident by his peers. Dr. Farrago has practiced family medicine for twenty-three years, first in Auburn, Maine and now in Forest, Virginia. He founded Forest Direct Primary Care in 2014, which quickly filled in 18 months. Dr. Farrago still blogs every day on his website Authenticmedicine.com and lectures worldwide about the present crisis in our healthcare system and the effect it has on the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Farrago’s has written three books on direct primary care: The Official Guide to Starting Your Own Direct Primary Care Practice, The Direct Primary Care Doctor’s Daily Motivational Journal and Slowing the Churn in Direct Primary Care (While Also Keeping Your Sanity) are all best sellers in this genre. He is a leading expert in direct primary care model and lectures medical students, residents, and doctors on how to start their own DPC practice. He retired from clinical medicine in October, 2020.

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