[784caroline]

Just having moved to TV we are in the process of finding new Drs and we have insurance under Blue Cross/Blue Shield PPO. We just went to a Dermatologist that required upon "new patient" sign in, both my wife and my (subscriber) SSN before we could see the Dr..even though this Dr is on the BC/BS PPO preferred list. If we did not give the number, he would not see us or we would have to pay the entire office vist up front (not just the co-pay). The Dr claims he cannot get paid from the insurance company unless he has the patient and subscribers SSN. I called BC and they said we are not required to give a "Preferred Provider" our SSN for treatment and he cannot require full payment....in fact their is not a space on the providers calim form to insert the patients or subscribers SSN.

BUT what are you to do when you waited for weeks for the new appointment and then this happens...PLUS this Dr was pretty good and we would like to maintain a relationship with him. The Dr calims if their is a problem with the claim the insurance company wants to verify who the patient /subscriber is and the only way to quickly resolve the problem is through the use of a SSN.

I protested by ended up giving the numbers! Any advice? Even if I file a formal complaint with BC, the Dr now has our numbers in his system but it may help future patients but I doubt it. Worse senario is that the Dr will pull out of the BC Preferred Provider plan for my insurance then I will be paying alot more!

[mokey]

I have been in TV for a year now. Every doctor we have gone to here on the new patient form has required your ssn. I don't like it either, but what are you to do.
:dontknow:

[Mikitv]

I agree that it makes me nervous to hand out my social security number. Employers and insurance companies got away from using that number years ago and issuing a subscriber number for your claims. I guess we can always ask the doctor to sign a form for us stating that if our social security number is misused by them or their employees then they can pay us up front for any financial problems we may incur. Just a thought. Lol. I know they would never do that. If there are problems with claims it is usually how they have filed it or the insurance company miskeyed something in their system. Claim won't be paid and then it is up to us to follow through because the doctor's office won't pursue it through the insurance company they will bill you.

[trichard]

Doc offices request this information for their own billing purposes. They are extending credit to you until the insurance company pays. This sometimes takes months. If the insurance company does not pay and you bolt or don't pay they need personal information to track you down or report you to the credit agencies.

[JohnN]

I try to be protective with SS# info, however I agree with the last post that docs do have a valid reason to get it. I've not ever heard of anyone having a problem in this regard and it's just a minor risk in life.

[784caroline]

trichard/ JohN

SO I guess when you had your landscaping or some construction work done and you gave the contractor 20-30% down, you also gave him your Social Security Number.

That rationale does not hold much water....SSN's are not to be used for that purpose!

[Skip]

I always give my (deceased) dad's old SSN. (You can find anyone's SSN in the Social Security Death Index, online.) Most medical offices will never catch it. What they want it for is if you never pay - they want to report it to a credit reporting agency like TransUnion. As long as their computer has a 9 digit number in it, it's happy. The office has no way of knowing what your real number is.

The form doesn't say YOUR Social Security Number; it just says SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER !

Skip

[TallerTrees]

Must be a FL thing. It is not country wide. My advice -- get another doctor. Offer him/her your first born !

[diskman]

Originally Posted by Skip

I always give my (deceased) dad's old SSN. (You can find anyone's SSN in the Social Security Death Index, online.) Most medical offices will never catch it. What they want it for is if you never pay - they want to report it to a credit reporting agency like TransUnion. As long as their computer has a 9 digit number in it, it's happy. The office has no way of knowing what your real number is.

The form doesn't say YOUR Social Security Number; it just says SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER !

Skip

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