Medicare, Home Health Medical Billing Errors and How to Spot Them

While it is true that everyone makes mistakes from time to time, errors in home health care and Medicare home health billing can cost you money that is not owed for the services that were provided. You pour over every bill you receive, from the cable bill to the dinner bill at your local restaurant. The same should be true for your medical bills to make sure you are paying what is due and no more.

The hard part will come if you have to try to prove the home health billing or Medicare hospice billing was incorrect and that you owe less than the bill you received indicates. It is well worth the effort and hassle to go through the complicated process of challenging an incorrect bill.

Common Home Health Care Billing Mistakes

The first step in combating medical billing mistakes is to be able to recognize them on the bills and statements. The processes and systems for healthcare revenue cycle management can be complicated and confusing.

Common medical billing errors for home health care billing and other services include:

• Duplicate Charges
• Itemized billing information will allow you to carefully check and more easily spot multiple charges for the same procedure or service.
• Tests, Procedures That Never Happened
• If you had a procedure scheduled but was then canceled for whatever reason, make sure that the procedure does not still show up on your bill.
• Wrong Patient Information
• Incorrect insurance and other patient information can lead to claim resolution delays and rejections. Double and triple check all of your personal patient information on all invoices received.
• Upcoding Charges
• Whether by accident or on purpose, charging for a higher severity or involved treatment than that was administered for the same diagnosis is illegal. A close examination of your billing invoice will catch this fraudulent action.
• Separation of Individual Charges
• When services and procedures are bundled together, the overall cost totals are cheaper. It is a tricky practice that the average patient would never be able to catch and correct.

Correcting Medical Billing Mistakes

Especially in patients who require a lot of home health care or hospice services, it can be tough to identify and know what to do in cases of medical billing errors and inconsistencies. Some helpful tips to root out mistakes and get them corrected include:

• Organize Medical Billing Paperwork
• Keep bills and paperwork organized and up to date. Comprehensive records keeping can be a crucial element when it comes to fighting medical billing expenses.
• Research, Compare, and Contrast
• It is a time-consuming and tiresome task, but doing your due diligence to research can save you a lot of money from mistakes made in medical billing. Go through your employer's insurance benefits personnel or your insurance agent to help gather and analyze the data and information.

Why Dominion Revenue?

If you are getting nowhere with your insurance company and cannot get answers from your work's insurance department, the industry specialists at Dominion Revenue can help. We provide cost-effective solutions to medical billing issues and problems.

Contact Dominion Revenue Today

For complete information on the process of medical billing, and to address any questions regarding medical billing mistakes, contact the medical billing professionals at Dominion Revenue today.