I went to my gynecologist for my annual check-up. The appointment was supposed to be a standard preventive visit. During the consultation she asked the usual questions like whether everything is okay and if I have any pain. I mentioned some minor discomfort sometimes, which is something I think many people mention casually during a check-up. She then did the normal examination and also ran a chlamydia test. Later I received the bill and noticed that the entire visit was coded as a “disease/illness consultation” instead of a preventive examination. The issue: My supplementary insurance covers annual preventive gynecological check-ups, but because the visit was coded as illness, it’s now billed through regular healthcare and I have to pay it myself. I contacted the practice and asked if they could correct the billing to a preventive check or split it into 2 separate bills, since that’s what the appointment was meant to be. Their response was basically: „During the medical history you reported complaints that were investigated during the examination. Every consultation must be billed with the appropriate code. In your situation it was unfortunately not possible to bill it as a purely preventive examination.” This feels extremely frustrating because:
- The appointment was booked as a yearly check-up
- The doctor asked if everything is okay (like they always do)
- Mentioning a small discomfort apparently invalidates the entire preventive visit
- Now the insurance coverage is lost because of the billing code It feels like a technical loophole being used against the patient. (Patient = Client in Switzerland 🤑) Is this actually normal in Switzerland? Do gynecologists really have to switch the entire billing to “illness” just because a patient answers honestly to routine questions? Or is this just a convenient way for practices to bill more? Curious if others in Switzerland have experienced something similar. submitted by /u/slowmotiontortoise
Originally posted by u/slowmotiontortoise on r/Switzerland