Practice Management Alert

Financial planners need to know this payment option for uninsured patients

Waiting is no longer the name of the game since one new discount healthcare plan arrived on the scene this August - and you can get paid without ever filing a claim form.

AmeriPlan Health is a health benefits discounted fee-for-service program that is working quickly to expand its medical provider network. The program offers its members discounted fees at participating providers and a line of credit to help cover healthcare costs - which means you, as the provider, get paid up front.

"What I'm hearing from doctors is that they don't mind giving the discount as long as they get their pay up front," says William Taylor, owner of AmeriPlan brokering agency Healthcare Benefits Plus. This type of discount healthcare plan may turn out to be a great solution to the insurance-driven financial problems in the healthcare field.

Here's what you need to know if you'd like to become a participating AmeriPlan provider and offer this payment option to your underinsured or financially needy patients:

Two plans: AmeriPlan USA actually started out just offering a supplemental benefits plan, Taylor says. This plan is the AmeriPlan Dental Plan Membership (or DVCP Benefits Plan) and includes vision, chiropractic and prescription plans for free as a value added benefit. The plan is available to individuals for $11.95 per month and to households for $19.95 per month (there is no limit on the number of people in a household), he says. And benefits for this plan start immediately - so the patient starts saving the day he signs up.

AmeriPlan USA's newer and more comprehensive benefits package includes medical care, ancillary services, ambulatory and hospital services, in addition to the DVCP benefits - all for $49.95 per person and $59.95 per household per month.

Where: Coverage for dental, vision, prescription and chiropractic is available in all states, Taylor says. Healthcare providers are now participating in Texas, California, Georgia and Oklahoma, but Taylor says the company is looking toward establishing a nationwide network within the coming year. If your practice is in a state other than the four listed above, you can still contact AmeriPlan about joining its provider network.

Any patient is eligible: Patients can enroll in AmeriPlan regardless of age or pre-existing conditions.

More perks: AmeriPlan wants to expand its provider network to include almost all specialties - and its fee schedule is 20 percent higher than Medicare's.

Imagine the benefits: If your practice is a participating AmeriPlan provider and you treat an underinsured patient who needs a costly procedure, you can recommend the patient join AmeriPlan and take advantage of your discounted AmeriPlan fee for the procedure. Then you will receive payment from the patient at the time of service in the form of cash, check or AmeriPlan Health Credit Card (which guarantees payment within 72 hours).

Another scenario: For a patient who has no insurance and needs expensive prescription drugs, you can offer the DVCP Benefits Plan so she can save on prescriptions that day.

Check it out: To learn more, visit Taylor's Web site at www.mybenefitsplus.comwtaylor. Feel free to call (512-249-6500) or e-mail (willtaylor@hotmail.com) with questions.