Multi-site Medicare participation

Q: I am an employee at a medical center that accepts all insurances, including Medicaid and Medicare. Could I still work in my own medical detoxification clinic that does not accept any insurance and only self-pay patients?

A: Medicare permits participation by practice site so that you can participate and accept Medicare 100% of the time at one location and not another. Nothing requires any physician to take Medicare at a different location or even to see Medicare patients. Medicaid, on the other hand, is only partially controlled by federal law, and the rest is determined by state law. Some states require that if you participate in Medicaid as a physician, you must participate at any location. To determine the answer, consult your state Medicaid participation rules.