Q3 2017 Presidents Letter

Welcome to DHAT’s fall newsletter. Believe it or not October through December is our busiest time of the year. So, if you will need an appointment before 2018 schedule it soon before they fill up. We are proud to welcome Sanjay Nayyar MD, Vanessa Beckman DO, Luis Lazardo Sanchez MD and Faiz Mirza MD to our McKinney, Frisco, Plano and Bedford locations.

Recently we have received numerous inquiries about DHAT’s contract with Aetna. This past May DHAT was one of many physician groups who received a “termination without cause” notice from Aetna. Associated with this notice was a demand that DHAT accept a double-digit reduction in compensation for our services. This was particularly frustrating for us since DHAT is already the most cost-effective GI provider in Aetna’s Network. The initial termination date of their notice was September 1, 2017, but Aetna has since extended that date to November 1, 2017.

Previous Fee Cuts

Previous fee cuts and an ever increasing overhead makes another fee reduction difficult to accept, especially a double-digit one. We have been working hard with Aetna to come to an agreement that is reasonable for both sides and feel optimistic this will be successful. We want you to know that DHAT remains committed to our patients and will settle for nothing less than providing you with the same high-quality, cost-effective healthcare that has made us one of the premier GI groups in the country.

James D. Hakert, MD

President DHAT