Assignment
Think about the following question and then type or upload your response:
How would you address the patient's request in the case study and maintain compliance?
Submission
Develop at least one paragraph that addresses the above question
Ethical dilemma: Must copays be collected? By Douglas L. Totten, O.D.
Case Study
Sue has been seen twice in the last week after developing a dense corneal infiltrate due to over wearing her contact lenses. The eye is quieting after aggressive topical pharmaceutical treatment. She is in for this third visit but is still having some discomfort and feels the eye is, "75 percent better." You determine she needs to continue one of the medications you have prescribed for the inflammation to resolve and tell her you need to see her in one week to determine when she might be able to restart her contact lens wear (of course, with firm instructions as to the proper care and wear of her lenses).
At the close of the encounter, she asks if there is a charge for the visit and if there will be another charge next week. She discloses that her major medical insurance coverage includes a $50 specialist copay for every office visit.
You answer that there is a charge for the visit today and there will be one for any subsequent encounters. You know that her husband lost his job last year and can surmise that the family is having some financial trouble.
She asks, point-blank, "Can you waive my copay for today and next week and just take what the insurance pays?"