Off Duty Employment

[Creflo]

There is a statement on my facility's off duty employment paperwork that you can't collect from DOD beneficiaries, tricare beneficiaries, or the federal government when participating in off duty employment as a healthcare provider. I understand no tricare, but does "federal government" mean that you can't take medicare?

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[jabreal00]

...... but does "federal government" mean that you can't take medicare?

No

 

[HighPriest]

You can see medicare, Medicaid, NHS, Danish Federal Healthcare, North Korean families looking for refills on their amphetamines....Just not Tricare.

 

[pgg]

You can see anyone and take care of anyone, but you just can't bill Tricare patients, nor can anyone else bill Tricare for care you provide.

This matters when doing things like covering call for a flat fee, or doing hourly work. The group can pay you to see Tricare patients, but they can't bill and so they eat the cost. Sometimes it's worth it to them to have a call or weekend covered. But you can still get paid.

 

[HighPriest]

That is more accurate.

I have had trouble, however, with that message getting through during some of my locums work. Occasionally I've had to back track to the billing department (personally) to ensure that they didn't bill a Tricare patient for my services. It's better to just not see them if you have a choice (seeing clinic). sometimes you don't (if you were working in an ER, or taking call from one).

 

[Gastrapathy]

On the plus side, Tricare is a terrible payer and its often not worth the trouble to try to bill them anyway.

 

[backrow]

That is more accurate.

I have had trouble, however, with that message getting through during some of my locums work. Occasionally I've had to back track to the billing department (personally) to ensure that they didn't bill a Tricare patient for my services. It's better to just not see them if you have a choice (seeing clinic). sometimes you don't (if you were working in an ER, or taking call from one).

When I was in this situation I would write all over the billing sheet "no billing of tricare authorized for this visit". And then I also wouldn't sign the sheet. For the first while I got some emails/questions from the billing department, but after that they "got it". Obviously only works in places that use a billing sheet though.


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[pgg]

I always wrote DO NOT BILL on any of the billing sheets for Tricare patients to CMA. I didn't have any way of knowing if the groups I covered ever tried to bill.

I was told that even if they tried, the worst that would happen is that the payment would be denied. The cops never came for me so I guess it was all OK.


CSB: I once did a case in the Naval hospital, on an eligible beneficiary, and got a check from a secondary insurance company mailed to my Navy hospital address, made out to me. I took it to our hospital I don't have a lot of faith in any step of the system.

 

[HighPriest]

I'm sure it also matters what it is you're doing. For example, if you're an anesthesiologist doing locums work for a hospital, they may not care if they can't bill for your portion of the care so long as they can bill for the surgeon, ICU stay or what-have-you. But if you're seeing a clinic you probably want to screen your patient list because you'll be doing pro bono work and your employer might not like it (although it would arguably be their fault.)