The Veterans Affairs Department is losing more than $110 million annually by failing to bill third-party payors for medical care, according to a study by the VA Inspector General reported in Army Times.
According to the report, the VA has failed to bill private insurers for 46 percent of healthcare costs they should be covering. The inspector general called the lack of billing a "missed opportunity" due largely to "ineffective and unreliable" practices.
By law, VA is required to bill private health insurers for medical care, supplies and prescriptions related to treatment of conditions that are unrelated to a veteran's service. Generally, veterans are not required to pay any balance not covered by their insurance.
Investigators found some medical centers had no written guidance to help billers determine if a private insurer should be billed for expenses. In some cases, the office responsible for billing private insurers had no record of any charges.
The VA inspector general found similar billing deficiencies in 2004 and 2008, according to the report. The office recommends an overhaul of billing practices, which the Veterans Health Administration agreed to in an official response.
Read the Army Times report on VA billing practices.
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According to the report, the VA has failed to bill private insurers for 46 percent of healthcare costs they should be covering. The inspector general called the lack of billing a "missed opportunity" due largely to "ineffective and unreliable" practices.
By law, VA is required to bill private health insurers for medical care, supplies and prescriptions related to treatment of conditions that are unrelated to a veteran's service. Generally, veterans are not required to pay any balance not covered by their insurance.
Investigators found some medical centers had no written guidance to help billers determine if a private insurer should be billed for expenses. In some cases, the office responsible for billing private insurers had no record of any charges.
The VA inspector general found similar billing deficiencies in 2004 and 2008, according to the report. The office recommends an overhaul of billing practices, which the Veterans Health Administration agreed to in an official response.
Read the Army Times report on VA billing practices.
Related Articles on Billing, Coding and Collections:
ASC Association Nominates Surgery Center President for APC Panel
Health IT Advisors: Would Delaying Stage 2 Help ICD-10 Transition?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Adds On-Site Billing at Duke University Health System