Home | 10/12/2023 Issue | Article

Waive co-pay for indigent patients on urgent basis, but be clear it’s not forever

Effective Oct 12, 2023
Published Oct 16, 2023
Last Reviewed Oct 12, 2023
Question: Our practice waived a co-pay for an insured patient in a financial hardship case last year. Our reasoning was that the patient needed care urgently and we weren’t comfortable turning them away. The patient has scheduled another visit, however, and we anticipate that the matter will be less urgent and we plan to require a co-pay before treatment. Could the patient refuse and charge patient abandonment on the grounds that we accepted their hardship earlier?
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