Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement - 2006 Issue 10
COMPLIANCE: Don't Play The Percentages With Overdue Copays And Deductibles
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Article Overview
This article addresses compliance issues in patient billing for overdue copayments and deductibles. It explains the general legal, federal, and contractual concerns that can arise when practices add fees, surcharges, or interest-like charges to patient balances, and it outlines broad collection alternatives practices may use instead. The content is relevant to medical practice managers, billing staff, compliance personnel, and providers who handle patient financial responsibility.
Why This Topic Matters
Patient billing policies can create compliance risk if they conflict with state law, federal requirements, or payer contracts. Understanding the general boundaries around fees for overdue balances helps practices reduce legal exposure and manage collections more safely.
What You Will Learn
- Common compliance concerns related to charging patients extra amounts on overdue balances.
- General federal, state, and payer-contract issues that can affect billing policies.
- Broad alternatives practices may use to address unpaid patient balances.
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Who Should Read This
- Medical practice administrators
- Billing and coding staff
- Compliance officers
- Physicians and other providers
- Revenue cycle personnel
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