The report cites a patient who underwent a laparoscopic hysterectomy — a minimally invasive procedure that requires only a few hours in the hospital — and received a bill for $65,514.97. According to the report, medical bills are almost always inflated before being routinely discounted in order to increase reimbursement for hospitals and physicians.
This process, however, means that patients and consumers are unlikely to understand the source of their charges. Patients without acute knowledge of medical billing may fail to understand the “actual cost of the procedure,” a problem considering the push for financial transparency and consumer awareness across the industry.
Read the L.A. Times report on medical bills.
Read more on medical billing:
–Federal Investigation to Examine Whether Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Pricing is Anti-Competitive
–Single-Specialty Coders Could Limit Their Prospects in the Future, AAPC President Says
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