Why an insurance policy change has some ER doctors worried in Mississippi [View all]

A physicians group is raising concerns about a planned Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi policy change it says could lead to less care being covered when a patient comes into the emergency room.

The Mississippi chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians said it's worried about a change where the insurer will review ER bills so "level of care" charges more closely align with the patient's diagnosis and not their symptoms.

The group is concerned the policy — set to take effect next year — means tests and treatments related to the "ruling out" process would no longer be covered. But Mississippi's insurance commissioner said the move is meant only to stop hospitals from over-billing related to the severity and complexity of an ER visit.

"A patient experiencing chest pain who fears that he or she may be experiencing a heart attack should be covered for his or her visit, even if the condition turns out to be a non-urgent medical condition, such as a hiatal hernia," the ER doctors wrote in a recently distributed letter, which has not been sent to the insurance company.

Read more: https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/28/blue-cross-blue-shield-insurance-change-limit-coverage-ms-er-mississippi/2387867002/