Elderly Medicare patients have been billed an additional $11 billion or more by medical professionals over the last decade due to expensive billing codes, according to NBC News.
Upcoding - "the practice of charging for more extensive and costly services than delivered" - has been found to be the practice of thousands of doctors in a recent study by the Center of Public Integrity.
While medical groups argue that, because seniors are living longer due to new technology, they are more complex and time-consuming to treat, CPI's report found little evidence to base this explanation on.
"Healthcare providers also said the rise in fees may be a reaction to years of under-charging, and that the higher costs reflect more accurate billing," writes NBC News. Read the full details here:
Doctors billing Medicare patients at higher rates, report finds
Steve Crandall, a top-rated medical malpractice attorney throughout Ohio and Kentucky, believes the rise of medical billing code complaints may be part of a larger picture.
"The physicians bill higher rates since the reimbursement amount paid to them for legitimate medical procedures continues to shrink," said Crandall, who also sees an overwhelming rise in the amount of patients physicians see and procedures performed in order to generate enough income to keep their practices profitable.
"This bad cycle ends up hurting the patients in the long run as tired and worn out physicians will make more mistakes in an effort to keep up with the increased volume. Until this problem with our medical system is fixed, medical errors will increase."
If you have any questions regarding medical malpractice throughout Ohio and Kentucky, contact Steve Crandall. Steve is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.