Survey: Billing errors common, hit patients hard in the wallet
Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, October 7, 2005
A recent Consumer Reports survey reveals that 5% of medical bills contain "major" errors, the Hartford Courant reports.
This costs healthcare payers more than $10 billion a year on overcharges, says Medical Billing Associates of America, a patient advocacy group.
Many of the errors go undetected because of the complexity of medical terminology and because most insurance companies routinely pay through automated bill-payment systems.
The mistakes can affect the insured consumer in three ways. First, most insured patients pay about 20% of their bill. Second, these mistakes may result in higher co-payments and less coverage. Third, many health insurance plans place a lifetime maximum dollar amount on the individual, and overcharges-some in excess of tens of thousands of dollars-take the individual closer to the cap.
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