It was only 12 weeks into my very first practice and I had just told the biggest insurance provider in my area to shove it.
I was fed up with their BS.
“How can they be in business?” I thought. “How can they treat providers that way and get away with it?”
(I was young and naive.)
“What am I gonna do now?” I thought to myself after realizing what I had just done. “How am I going to get patients now?”
In 1997, everyone used their insurance (and co-pays were nonexistent). No one paid cash; It wasn’t even a thought.
And here I am completely severed from the one plan that everyone seemed to have.
What was I gonna do?
“But they are evil…and ridiculous…and so completely wrong.” I said to my business partner.
I stood up for what I believed. I took a stance. But I knew this was going to cost us.
The next few new patients that called to schedule were…you guessed it, Blue Cross.
I ended up seeing them anyways because I didn’t want to lose the referral sources. How would it look if I told them I didn’t take Blue Cross?
Patients would stop coming for sure. Doctors would stop referring for sure.
So I kept seeing them for $25 per session. That’s all BC paid to non-participating providers.
This went on for a year and a half before I finally had to close my doors.
My first practice failed.
I was devastated.
My temper had cost me my first practice.
…
But I wasn’t going to give up. I will try again.
…
So I started over. Got a small space.
(Most of my equipment got repossessed so didn’t need much space anyways.)
Adamantly, I still refused to work with Blue Cross but was determined to figure out how to make it without them.
So my journey of offering my services as an Out-of-Network provider (and cash) began.