A recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services showed upcoding to be on the rise among physicians, possibly due to an increase in electronic health records, but technology may be more to blame than physicians, according to Forbes.
The HHS report singled out 1,700 physicians, or 1 percent, for billing Medicare at the highest rates. A New York Times article also showed that hospitals which received subsidies for EHRs had a 47 percent increase in Medicare payments at higher levels from 2006 to 2010 compared with 32 percent for hospitals not receiving subsidies.
However, many health experts are saying that EHRs are not making physicians more likely to upcode. They contend that physicians have been undercoding for years, and now electronic databases will allow them to properly collect for procedures. EHRs should reduce billing fraud because it's easier to track.
More Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
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AHA Counters Allegations EHRs May Cause Upcoding Fraud
The HHS report singled out 1,700 physicians, or 1 percent, for billing Medicare at the highest rates. A New York Times article also showed that hospitals which received subsidies for EHRs had a 47 percent increase in Medicare payments at higher levels from 2006 to 2010 compared with 32 percent for hospitals not receiving subsidies.
However, many health experts are saying that EHRs are not making physicians more likely to upcode. They contend that physicians have been undercoding for years, and now electronic databases will allow them to properly collect for procedures. EHRs should reduce billing fraud because it's easier to track.
More Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
CMS: 9 Tasks Providers Must Complete to Prepare for ICD-10
Essentia Health Begins Repayment of $1.2M in Medicare Overpayments
AHA Counters Allegations EHRs May Cause Upcoding Fraud