Hinshaw's Thomas O'Carroll Discusses Medical Billing Audits and How to Prevent Them

Hinshaw partner Thomas O'Carroll recently authored an article in the January 2019 issue of Outpatient Surgery Magazine. Titled "Medical Billing Audits: The Road to Ruin," the article describes the process of a medical billing audit along with preventative steps to help avoid being audited.

O'Carroll explains that a medical billing audit often begins with an "innocuous" letter from a federal or private payer, asking for a sample of billing records. "If they see something about your billing practices that differs from the statistical norm, it is likely that your center could face an audit," he said. To avoid an audit, O'Carroll recommends a prevent defense: "Regularly perform your own billing audits . . . communicate the necessary changes in process and practice to your staff, and mandate compliance."

Read the full article in the online version of Outpatient Surgery Magazine: http://magazine.outpatientsurgery.net/i/1070687-2018-salary-survey-january-2019-subscribe-to-outpatient-surgery-magazine/25