Congress has enacted a “No Surprises Act” which went into effect 1/1/2022. The act is described as “new federal protections against surprise medical bills”. Surprise medical bills arise when insured consumers inadvertently receive care from out-of-network hospitals, doctors, or other providers they did not choose” (please see https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/no-surprises-act-implementation-what-to-expect-in-2022/).

It is highly unlikely this could affect our work together. There will be no situation in which you would “inadvertently” receive care from me or with no choice. Also, the final rules about how to implement this in a practice such as mine have not been written yet by the federal government. I am “out of network” for all insurance companies and for Medicare.

If we currently work together, you are already aware of my charges and your costs. If you are considering working with me, the act suggests I might need to provide you with a diagnosis before we meet, which of course would be both unethical and impossible. At this time, multiple professional organizations are scrambling to understand the details of this law, to whom it applies and how to apply it. Guidance so far is uncertain and, in some cases, conflicting.

I will be transparent with you about the costs of the services we agree on together. They are listed in the Service Agreement you signed or will need to sign before we proceed. This transparency is already required by ethical standards and simply because it is necessary for us to work well together. You are entitled to a good faith estimate of charges orally and in written form in advance of any work we do together.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any related questions.