To ensure they get paid, doctors seek entire bill for patient share upfront

Medical practices and clinics increasingly are asking people to pay their entire out-of-pocket charge as they are walking out after a visit. That could include paying amounts a patient owes toward their health plan's deductible and a percentage of the cost of care under a co-insurance requirement. Patients who are uninsured also are being asked for money upfront or to sign up for a payment plan. And physician practices have started demanding patients pay in advance for outpatient surgeries and expensive imaging scans, a practice that certain hospitals have long enforced.