Question

When a physician agrees to accept assignment for a Medicare patient, this means the physician ____.

1) Agrees to provide medical services to the patient
2) Agrees to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment
3) Agrees to bill the patient for any remaining balance
4) Agrees to refer the patient to another physician

Answer 1

A physician agreeing to accept assignment for a Medicare patient means they agree to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for covered services, including the deductible and copayments set by Medicare.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a physician agrees to accept assignment for a Medicare patient, this means that the physician agrees to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for covered services. By agreeing to this, the physician is participating in the Medicare program and will accept the fee determined by Medicare as the total reimbursement for the services provided, and thus cannot charge the patient more than the deductible and copayment amounts determined by Medicare.

This agreement benefits both the patient and the physician by ensuring that the patient is not billed for more than the Medicare deductible and copayment and allows the physician to directly bill Medicare, reducing the administrative burden on patients. It is an important aspect to consider within the fee-for-service and managed healthcare systems such as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs).