This isn't a laughing matter to me. My healthcare provider sold out to a big St. Louis for profit organization. Now they are taking steps to increase profit, and one of those steps is to require a Medicare annual wellness visit with each routine physical. For 3 or 4 years they honored my request that I didn't want or need the wellness visit. Now they have decided that I must take it or else....
My last physical 1st the nurse told me my insurance might not pay for my physical if I didn't take the wellness visit. I called my insurance they didn't even know what she was talking about.
I refused, my Doctor told me Medicare WANTED them to give the exam. I called Medicare, they said they didn't want or require us to do anything, not even go to the Doctor.
Since they aren't allowed to do a Physical and wellness check on the same visit, they charge you for a co-pay and your insurance provider for an additional office visit, which you don't get. The Wellness check only consists of a questionnaire asking if you needed help recently to do daily tasks. My Doctor sees me twice a year and KNOWS my physical condition .According to Medicare any charges to medicare that you don't want or need is billing fraud. I believe medicare fraud is so rampant it;s impossible for Medicare to address the issue.
So I'm left to either stop taking a physical of let them use my account to defraud Medicare.
There is another provider here locally bur I have been going to the same place since mid 70's and all my records are there.
