It’s a question that comes up often in our healthcare conversations, and there are some people who say they’ve been helped by a doctor who’s not in the field.
But in reality, the answer is probably different depending on where you live.
That’s because doctors are required to meet certain criteria in order to get access to the care they need.
“You can’t do it with just anybody,” says Dr. John Mathers, chief of internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
“And I think there are very few doctors who can do it in any reasonable way.”
Mather is a former member of the National Association of Internal Medicine and now a fellow at the American College of Physicians.
In the past decade, he says, the number of internal health doctors has increased by nearly two-thirds, from 6,200 in 2001 to 11,700 in 2014.
Internal medicine is a subspecialty in the medical profession.
It includes primary care, including obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, family medicine, psychiatry, endocrinology, and a wide variety of internal-medicine-related practices, as well as specialist and outpatient services.
Some of these subspecialties have their own medical standards, and many are funded by the federal government.
So even if a doctor is working at Mayo Clinic and has the same specialty, Mayo Clinic has no way of knowing that he or she’s actually a doctor, because there’s no database or any kind of oversight.
There are also some doctors who are exempt from paying for their own specialty, like primary care and endocrinologists.
And even though they are required by federal law to meet specific criteria, it’s not clear that all doctors are subject to them, according to Mather.
And Mather also says that doctors are allowed to take on additional practices that don’t fit within the same medical specialty, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re eligible for Medicare.
“There are some doctors that will take on other work that is not in their specialty,” Mather says.
The rules for doctors also vary depending on the state, Mather notes.
For example, if a patient has multiple health problems, the doctor who treats them might need to work more hours.
If a patient is a chronic illness, doctors who treat chronic health conditions could be eligible for additional care that isn’t in the same subspecialization.
And if the doctor has to work on weekends, they may be able to work longer hours, which could be a good thing for some patients.
The doctor who diagnoses the patient’s condition also could be able forgo other paychecks, which would help them pay more for their insurance, but could also make them ineligible for Medicare or Medicaid.
Some doctors are also eligible for tax credits for certain kinds of care, but those rules can change depending on how much you pay out of pocket for that care.
Some states have laws that require doctors to report their income to the state Department of Insurance, but Mather thinks that’s rarely enforced.
For instance, some states have special programs that allow them to claim the extra costs of care when they receive tax credits.
Mather estimates that a good chunk of his patients are covered under Medicaid, but he says that there are also many people who are eligible for a Medicare rebate or Medicare Advantage.
“If you’re in the general population, then there are probably other people that are going to get a discount,” he says.
“I think most people that I see who have Medicaid and Medicare are going into the Medicare Advantage program.”
And if you’re not covered by Medicare, you still get Medicare.
Muth says that he has seen patients who have no insurance at all, and they’re covered through Medicare Advantage and Medicaid.
But for people who work outside the hospital, or work at home and don’t have coverage through Medicare, he advises people to be careful.
“It’s going to be very expensive,” he adds.
“They’re going to end up in the ER and not being able to get care.
They’re going the emergency room.
They can be in the ICU for a long time.”
Muth also advises people who have chronic conditions to be cautious about how much they pay for their care.
“What’s important to remember is that it is not a good idea to pay more than what is covered by the insurance,” he advises.
“The way it’s set up, there’s a deductible, which is $1,000.
So you have to be a little cautious about that.”
In the end, Muth advises that doctors who want to be reimbursed by Medicare should look for ways to keep costs low, and make sure they have access to specialists.
“That’s going be very hard,” he warns.
“But if you have insurance, you can go to a doctor and get care that’s going right.
And you don’t