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DOT Physicals


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Anyone doing the DOT physicals since 5/21?  Does insurance cover the physical or is it cash?  If cash, what do you charge?  It is a pretty lengthy process.  Have you seen a significant increase in doing this exam now that it is restricted to only certified examiners?  Thanks

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I part time at an urgent care where we do them.  I believe we charge $125 for the physical which includes the required UA.  If they need anything else (PFT, A1C, etc) then it racks up the charges.  I don't believe any insurance companies pay for it, it is either the carrier or the driver, but I could be wrong.

 

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certified examiner here. we charge $150 including UA.

 

The exam was not one you can take without preparing, and I've done DOT exams for over 25 years.  It's not quite like taking boards where medicine makes sense and you can pick the answer off a page.  Many questions were somewhat-arbitrary government bureaucrat stuff, and you just have to know it.  But, I'm sure we can all study and pass.  I heard that chiros were failing left and right, but I can see that as they don't have the medical background.

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Guest Paula

My SP is taking the course and test.  He hasn't done it yet but I will ask if insurance reimburses for it.  If not, we've been doing them free for years or for a very reduced FQHC fee.   I'm not taking the course.  We do a dozen or less exams a year so not worth it for the tribe to have both of us certified. 

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I heard that chiros were failing left and right, but I can see that as they don't have the medical background.

I do not understand the reason behind to have chiro as designated DOT examiner. It's scary. They are not medical professionals.

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Another certified DOT examiner here. I do at least 2-5 a day. Took the test in May. 

 

We charge $120 for DOT physicals, includes UA.  The employer pays if work-related, the patient pays cash if he is obtaining certification outside of employment.

 

The test itself was not easy---it is passable by a PA or MD but did not really correlate to the study material. Basically they give you scenarios with multiple "right" answers....I guessed on a lot of them because I didn't know what they were looking for. I got like a 92 on my practice exam.

 

Know the guidelines for all major diseases; e.g. time to wait, time to certify, discretionary vs. non-discretionary, etc.

 

And when doing the exams---when in doubt, do not certify!!

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  • 9 months later...

Hey guys, sorry for the necrobump. Does anybody have a questionnaire together to screen DOT patients? I am looking for medical history that you will absolutely turn away (benzos, narcotics, insulin, anti-convulsants). I am currently working in occ med, and we do lots of DOT physicals. I just had a patient come in that is on valium, lortab, 3 bp meds, and oral DM medications. Needless to say, I turned him away. Just looking to streamline this operation. 

 

-Zach

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We do them.  We charge $90, which seems to be the lowest around.

 

I find these exams to be a real headache, as many primary care physicians used to issue cards left and right despite major contraindications and medical problems.

 

I have people constantly coming in with HTN, Diabetes (out of control), Sleep Apnea with minimal to no CPAP compliance... and all expect to be issued a card promptly.  When I tell them further documentation is required, or I can not issue a card, it usually ends uncomfortably and with argument from the patient.

 

I honestly prefer not to do DOT physicals unless I have to.  

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I've just accepted a very limited part-time gig with Occ Med, and they are reimbursing me for a study course so I can take the exam. I have no idea what we charge, but DOTs are a fairly significant chunk of the business, that's clear enough. It's cerebral, in a certain way, so even if it's all pretty cookbook I appreciate the ability to use some acumen and judgment.

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  • Administrator
I find these exams to be a real headache, as many primary care physicians used to issue cards left and right despite major contraindications and medical problems.

 

I have people constantly coming in with HTN, Diabetes (out of control), Sleep Apnea with minimal to no CPAP compliance... and all expect to be issued a card promptly.  When I tell them further documentation is required, or I can not issue a card, it usually ends uncomfortably and with argument from the patient.

... DOT physicals are a structured way of appropriately weeding out people likely to have medical emergencies and end up crashing something bigger than a passenger car.  When you do a DOT physical, you have no patient.  The subject in front of you is not someone for you to fix, just someone to EVALUATE.  Your customer is society, and the $100ish you charge cash is the driver's nonrefundable application fee for the privilege of using their CDL on real roads.

 

Frankly, I think the examiner and the physician for a particular CDL holder should be required to be different people, as the patient-provider relationship can interfere with the objectivity and detachment needed to serve in the evaluator role, rather than as a patient advocate.

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