Medicare opt-out decision requires detailed knowledge

If you are a participating provider with Medicare, as are most physicians, you can accept assignment and receive payments directly from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). An alternative to participating status is non-participating status. An advantage of non-participating status is that you can charge your patients additional fees, up to the Medicare limiting charge. If you opt out but still want to treat Medicare beneficiaries, you must enter into private contracts with them. These contracts require the patients to agree to give up CMS coverage for services furnished by you and to pay you without regard to any limits that otherwise would have applied to what you could charge.