Quote:
Originally Posted by ginnie
Paying for a letter takes 1/2 day? Costs $600???? Someone is making money on you. :
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She didn't say that she was paying $600 for a letter. She said she was considering paying that for the EXAM and the documentation of the findings of that exam.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanc
I cannot believe your doctor's office charges $600 to complete a form. It sounds to me like they're confusing it with a FCE (functional capacity evaluation) that does usually take a minimum of four hours to evaluate you doing different things, like lifting, pushing, pulling, they evaluate your endurance. My dr told me that insurance usually doesn't cover it and it costs around $800 - $900 (my insurance covered it and I paid only a $25 co-pay).Good luck!!
Nanc
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It sounds like they plan on doing an FCE exam for Debi.
Debi, to make sure that you understand the difference (although some of our other posters might be able to explain it better)......
The FCE (functional capacity evaluation) is usually done by a PT and does take hours to complete. It measures your ability to do certain tasks on the day of the test. Many of those "tasks" or questions are also listed on an RFC form (residual functional capacity). Completing an RFC form doesn't require that a doctor watch one stand for 8 hours to determine whether or not a patient can or cannot stand for that long. The RFC asks for the doctor's JUDGEMENT on how long the patient can stand, sit, walk, etc in an 8 hour period. If your doctor completes an RFC form and he understands that you USUALLY are limited in a certain way, ie, if you have to lay down due to severe pain or fatigue every few hours on MOST days, your doctor can document that you are unable to RELIABLY stand, walk, or sit or any 8 hour period. If you happen to have a good day, or take extra meds to get through the FCE exam with a PT, when they check off what you could do THAT day, it implies that you could do at least that every day.
SSDI doesn't require an FCE EXAM. In the practical sense, SSDI approval seems to require the INFO that can be found on an RFC or FCE FORM. Because so much of the info on either form can be interchangeable, people can mistakenly use the terms interchangeably.
If all of your docs are adamant about not spending the time completing the documentation that you need and this is the only way you can get some of this info into your SSDI application, I would feel like I had no choice but to fork over the $$$. I would clarify first that your treating orthopedic doc will also be signing the form. In the land of the SSA, it seems an MD opinion counts more than a PT opinion, so make your money count.