health system to start billing for online messaging, after the federal Medicare program outlined the conditions under which it would pay for the service. The Rochester-based health care system announced the switch Monday in response to a recent 132% increase in patient messages, which sometimes averted the need for billable clinic visits.
Patients will be warned, starting Friday, that their messages could result in charges of up to $50 if Mayo doctors respond with diagnostic information. Mayo Clinic will start charging patients for some online messaging exchanges with their doctors, closing an increasingly popular backdoor route to free medical advice.
