Full office visit co-pay charged for MyChart message

[u/arwenthenoble]

I had a question about a temporary medication I was taking and sent a message via MyChart. The message was only regarding the medication (no other health questions were asked).

I received my EOB and was charged a full $50 co-pay like when I go in person for a visit or have a full video visit. When I looked online, I see in general messaging costs listed as much lower than a visit. Does this mean my insurance doesn’t differentiate a full visit from a brief question in a message? If I had known, I would’ve scheduled an online telehealth visit instead.

I’ve had a lot of medical costs this year and another random $50 stings. I will avoid using MyChart going forward.

[u/MrPBH]

The problem is that the barrier to sending a MyChart message is very low and that results in dozens of daily messages.

Some offices hire a nurse whose only job is managing the inbox. More commonly, it falls on the doctors to do so and it can take hours of their day. Hours that they are not getting paid for.

Other people use the inbox as a substitute for making an appointment and try to get free care that way.

Because insurance companies and Medicare are cutting reimbursement for medical care and inflation is ballooning overhead, you can expect charges for inbox messages to become industry standard.

Alternatively, you could pay for the level of service you want by signing on with a Direct Primary Care practice. Such clinics offer unlimited medical care (including inbox messages and telehealth visits) for a single monthly subscription fee.

If you want white glove service, expect to pay for it.