| | | >> No one at CMS/Medicare was interested.
I had this happen with my mom (> 10 years ago). During her cancer treatment she received an EOB after a lengthy hospital stay; even in her mid 80s she, as a former nurse, had some awareness of what was and wasn't done. She assured me "I never got that..."
I dutifully called Medicare to advise them of the billing problem, and it was an exercise in frustration. At the end of the day, I told mom, "I tried, and nobody cares."
I'm guessing this problem isn't that unusual among people who do know what's going on. But even people who are familiar with the processes don't know what constitutes a level 4 visit vs. a level 2. They may know they did or didn't see the doctor, but are clueless about what he ordered.
I went for my physical recently, and when they called with my labwork they had done a test for testosterone as part of the routine labs. This is a test I absolutely would not have had, had I known he was ordering it -- if for no other reason, I'm not about to take any of these "low-T" drugs out there given the side effects. But he ordered the test and checked the box, and I got the test. A visit that used to be a 99213 is now a 99214, because he checked all the boxes necessary to "document" it. |
|
