The good news is, it's not a pink slip but actually has a few pennies to cash on that check. You figure you put a postage for 49 cents in an envelope and the paper work involved in processing the claim, paying the biller, and other assisting staff to prepare the letter and the envelope and all costs involved to comply within the rules to get in the end a few months later, only a few pennies!
It was once explained to me that when a customer leaves a penny as a tip, that would be an insult to the waiter or the waitress that served that customer. But if they have left nothing on the table, maybe they will have an excuse that they forgot to leave a tip. So either a pink slip or a check reading $00.19 would mean an insult to the provider or even qualify as abuse to the provider.
The majority of good ethical providers have to be united and start collaborating together to complement each others services and offer alternative healthcare systems that is both satisfying professionally to doctors and full filling to patients. That would strike a great balance where the patients are getting the care that they deserve and the doctors are being fairly and directly compensated for their services in a transparent way. This would allow those physicians to keep their doors open, and would prevent physician burn out and abuse, protect patient health and advocate for better health at lower costs which has been already proven to be easily accomplished.
One kind of wonders with the persistent annual increase in healthcare costs over the past three decades and more out of pocket cost to consumer and outrageous deductibles, copayment s and less and less being paid for those who actually deliver the care i.e doctors. So who is making the money in the healthcare market not billions but trillions. No wonder so many doctors are switching their practices into Concierge Medicine (direct care medicine). Where their once again in control of how they practice medicine, not being dictated by the employer who is mostly driven by bottom line (revenue generation) rather than doing what is right and ethical.
We have proven in our Concierge Medicine model over the past five years that it is the way to go. Now both patients and providers have come together to reconnect again to preserve the dignity of the patients and the honor of the most notable profession on earth and not worry about the pennies in the checks!