by jpod on Tue Dec 17, 2019 1:50 pm
The article is about health insurance billing not workers' comp. Workers comp is not private practice, ii is a state mandated program that imposes rules; there is an official medical fee schedule and a requirement that medical services be both reasonable in terms of cost AND medically necessary. In WC Medical providers are not allowed to enter into a contract with the WC patient.
In health insurance the doctor can set their own fees which does not necessarily match the amount the health insurance covers. The patient usually signs papers which is essentially an agreement to pay the doctor the difference between what was billed and what the health insurer paid to the doctor.