This is the way our current healthcare billing system works. It's not sinister. It's called a comorbidity. If the person has Covid19, it exacerbates other problems and complicates care. This should not come as a surprise and I'm sure that folks in the medical field (like me) are rolling their eyes at this kind of news.
Now, if docs are adding Covid19 to a patients problem list when there is no evidence of it, that's different. And trust me, the Joint Commission will rip new assholes if they catch healthcare orgs cheating on this. There must be sufficient evidence to include Covid19 for billing purposes.
This is the way our current healthcare billing system works. It's not sinister. It's called a comorbidity. If the person has Covid19, it exacerbates other problems and complicates care. This should not come as a surprise and I'm sure that folks in the medical field (like me) are rolling their eyes at this kind of news.
Now, if docs are adding Covid19 to a patients problem list when there is no evidence of it, that's different. And trust me, the Joint Commission will rip new assholes if they catch healthcare orgs cheating on this. There must be sufficient evidence to include Covid19 for billing purposes.
Others in healthcare, please feel free to add.