insurance and cash pay

Bariatric, General & Laparoscopic Surgeon serving Sacramento, CA and the surrounding areas.

Our goal is to provide every option for patients to receive the care they want. Recent patient reports show patient sentiment is changing. Patients want a doctor patient relationship that resembles more of a partnership.

Admittedly, it is not always easy to find a doctor you feel you have a true partnership towards better health. However, more patients have become empowered at seeking the specific care they are looking for. Sometimes the program and Doctor they want is in network and their insurance covers the majority of their care. However, this is not always the case, sometimes the care you seek may lie out-of-network.

We have received a significant demand from patients to not only have insurance options but cash pay as well. We encourage you to explore each option and decide what is best for you.

Insurances

Insurance Coverage

For many years receiving your General Care or Bariatric Care was solely covered through your insurance provider and referred by your General Care Doctor. You can now self-refer to the Bariatric Center you want to go to. This is why we have done our best to accept as many carriers as possible.

Insurance coverage is still the best option for the majority of patients. Please give us a call and we will help you with this process and make it as easy as possible.

Changes In Health Care

Changes in Healthcare

Over the last 5+ Years we have seen some significant changes in healthcare. We have heard more patients notify us they were initially recommended programs that were ultimately not the right fit for them. There is a movement where many patients are taking significant ownership in their own healthcare. People are doing their own research and finding options available to them they weren’t initially aware of. Patients are now looking out-of-network and searching for the most experienced, safest, and best care they can possibly find.

This is one of the many reasons some have opted for the cash pay option…

Cash Pay

Why are patients increasingly choosing cash pay?

Why are so many people deciding to cash pay over using their insurance? Over the last several years we have received a significant increase in patients wanting to cash pay for their care. This is happening for a myriad of different reasons.

Let’s start with one of the most surprising: “We discovered some health care providers’ cash or self-pay discounts are cheaper than what you’d pay using your insurance. People with high deductibles are finding it’s better to pay their bills with cash or card than let billing departments send it to their insurance.” (Click the button below to read the article)

Many patients are finding benefit to using Insurance as a backstop for emergencies and catastrophic care and utilizing cash pay for other areas of their healthcare. This could be for more specific, specialized, elective, and even preventative care. Other patients have told us they were sick and tired of spending hours on the phone with insurance companies trying to recuperate compensation for the care that was provided for them in their plan. People are taking their healthcare into their own hands instead of relying on insurance companies.

However, here at Steven Patching, MD offering cash pay options was not enough. Over the years many of those options were still too expensive. We decided to leverage our partners in medicine to find ways to make it more affordable for the patients who choose this option. We have created partnerships and negotiated rates substantially less than normal cash pay options.

Call us today for a cash pay quote for:
-Bariatric Care
-Specialty Care
-Gallbladder
-Hernia

Insurance vs Cash Pay Article

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10 most common reasons people prefer out-of-pocket over insurance

Deductible

Their deductible has not been met.

Type of Insurance

Some patients might not have insurance coverage for a particular service or procedure.

Cost

Patients might find that paying cash is cheaper than using insurance, (Especially if they have a high deductible or co-pay).

Ease of payment

Paying cash is often simpler and more straightforward than navigating the insurance reimbursement process.

Provider network limitations

Patients may choose to pay out-of-pocket in order to see a provider who is not in their insurance network.

Privacy concernsPrivacy concerns

Patients may prefer to keep their medical information private and not have it included in their insurance records.

Fear of denial of coverage

Some patients may be concerned that their insurance will not cover a specific procedure or treatment.

Lack of trust in insurance companies

Some patients may choose to pay out-of-pocket due to a general mistrust of insurance companies and their ability to adequately cover their medical needs.

Co-Payments

Some programs may have a higher co-pay for insured patients.

Can be quicker to surgery

Ex: Many Insurances Companies require 6+ Months of appointments before they approve Bariatric Surgery

More Information

Patients with no insurance

For a variety of reasons, some patients do not carry health insurance. Paying for surgical services without insurance is beyond the means of many patients. However, our ability to perform most operations with minimally invasive techniques allowed us to negotiate a markedly reduced cash price performed at an outpatient surgery center. Please inquire about pricing for the operation you are in need of.

Important notice to Medical Group Patients

You may be told that you have to go to a certain surgeon within your medical group. If you want to come to us for your care, please check with our office first to see if you are permitted to see us, because most of the time you are permitted to come to us, contrary to what they say. You have the right to see who you want, do not give up that right to choose.

*If you have Kaiser insurance and are willing to pay out-of-pocket, we can discuss our discounted cash price with you.

Calll to check your coverage

Other options

You may want to look at:

-HSA Accounts

-Flex Pay Accounts

(916) 568-5564

3600 American River Drive

Suite 220

Sacramento, CA 95864