William H. Maruca was quoted in the Part B News article, "How To Make Good Legally on Spoiled Visits To Increase Patient Satisfaction." Full text can be found in the June 30, 2014, issue, but a synopsis is below.
With patients expecting higher quality customer service than they did before, practices may find themselves needing to cover a patient's bills to make up for their dissatisfaction. But, practices must ensure they do so in compliance with Medicare regulations.
When dealing with disgruntled patients, writing off service is "generally OK," as long as the practice does not charge the insurance carrier, according to William Maruca.
But, "a policy, formal or otherwise, that uses free visits to lure patients from other practices – e.g., 'Every fourth visit free!' – could run afoul of patient inducement prohibitions under the civil monetary penalties law," cautions Maruca.
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