Is Charging a Ppe Fee Legal

“We`ve heard from other carriers that one supplier charges $172, another $300,” Cammarata said. As California dental offices resume preparedness amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the requirement to implement new safety protocols and provide additional PPE to protect staff and patients has become a financial burden. CDA recognizes that its members are looking for ways to offset the increasing cost of maintaining a clean and safe environment, which may include imposing new infection control fees on patients. While CDA continues to advocate for financial assistance for its members, the following tips are recommended to help members deal with this growing problem. If a PSA supplement is appropriate for your practice, there are additional considerations in determining how much you are allowed to bill patients. California`s trench law prohibits businesses, including dental offices, from raising the price of goods and services by more than 10% after an emergency is declared, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to global PSA shortages, suppliers are exempt from charging pre-COVID prices for PPE, but should not charge more than 10% of the current market price of PPE supplies needed during a typical patient visit. Nearly a year after the pandemic gutted the economy, businesses across the country are increasingly charging coronavirus-related fees, ranging from a $5 disinfection fee at a hair salon to $1,200 for extra food and cleaning at a senior housing center. which are often not disclosed until the customer receives an invoice. In June, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh issued a warning to dentists that charging PPE fees could violate consumer protection law. CDA`s practice support can help plan members interpret their dental plan contracts, but it is not a legal analysis. Businesses that require physical contact and close interaction, such as hair salons, have also been reported to charge coronavirus fees. Provider-carrier contracts, as well as public and private insurance laws, generally prohibit participating providers from charging insured consumers.

Dentists who participate as a contracted provider of a dental plan must review the terms and conditions of their participation agreements, as well as related documents, such as their provider manuals, or confirm whether they are able to charge the plan or patient and how to receive payment. Many plan contracts contain restrictions on the imposition of additional fees or management costs that should be assumed to be consolidated into the existing costs of covered services. Ironworks, a hair salon in Glen Allen, Virginia, announced a 5% service fee in an email to customers to cover HEPA air purifiers, UV-C bulbs and lost sales by the end of the year. Ironworks did not respond to requests for comment. An anonymous hair salon in South Carolina was reported to the Attorney General`s Office for charging a $5 disinfection fee. “A lot of fixed costs haven`t changed,” Kennedy said. “The rent hasn`t changed. Utilities, insurance companies.

These are all things that still had to be paid for, even if no customers showed up at the door. “This pandemic has had a financial impact on many Michigan individuals and businesses, but it doesn`t give businesses the right to impose unauthorized costs on their customers — especially those in our senior communities and others already living on fixed incomes,” Nessel said in a press release. While the Art Gallery of Ontario recognizes that dental offices may face financial hardship due to COVID-19 infection control measures, consumers should also be protected from unreasonable fees. Such protections are particularly useful at a time when many consumers are struggling with their own financial difficulties. The ministry is aware that some policyholders will have to pay for personal protective equipment, such as masks, gowns and gloves (PPE), due to increased costs due to COVID-19 when visiting a participating provider or dentist in person. “I think of my mother, who has a very limited fixed income. If every doctor she sees and she has medical issues, if every doctor she sees bills her for it, it`s really going to put a strain on her budget,” Eney said. Hidden fees are a legitimate concern for consumers, especially economically vulnerable Americans or seniors without much income, but not all states protect consumers from them. While health insurance law in some states requires health care providers to offer reimbursements to patients who have been unfairly billed for personal protective equipment, other states allow companies to charge additional fees as long as they are disclosed in advance. Nessel`s office said a senior official at one of the companies said the fee covered the cost of meal service, PPE and cleaning, but residents who pushed back were told they didn`t have to pay them.

New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said in a press release that “excessive fees” should not be charged for doctor visits and medical procedures. Sport Clips president and CEO Edward Logan said the company discourages its franchisees from passing on hygiene costs to customers, but in some cases it`s necessary. “We have no problem if they process the request in such a way that the patient does not remain on the hook.