Mr. Umbdenstock wrote the letter in response to the New York Times‘ Sept. 25 editorial that discussed evidence of improper hospital billing enhanced by the use of electronic health records. The newspaper also said the government “should move more quickly to set up guidelines on how to bill properly for services.”
Mr. Umbdenstock agreed with the editorial, noting that the AHA is ready to work with the Obama administration for more billing oversight. He said hospitals need more guidance, not additional audits.
“No one questions the need to identify billing mistakes; but the flood of new auditors is deluging hospitals with redundant audits, unmanageable medical record requests and inappropriate payment denials,” Mr. Umbdenstock wrote.
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