The Jewish Ethicist: Upcoding

The Jewish Ethicist: Upcoding

from aish.com

By Rabbi Dr. Asher Meir, Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem

Q. Insurers insist that every procedure be reimbursed according to its code. But sometimes a procedure that usually takes five minutes takes an hour. Can’t I record a higher-level code in order to get fair recompense?

A. The practice you describe is often called “upcoding” – recording a code for a procedure more expensive than the one the patient needs. It is recognized as a form of insurance fraud, or if the insurer is the government as a form of defrauding the government.

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HECKER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT SERIES: MIDOT SERIES #10: COMPASSION

Harvey S. Hecker Character Development Series: Our words are a powerful force to build – and destroy.

Midot Series #10: Compassion
Originally published by Rabbi Shraga Simmons on aish.com

The world needs compassion. Compassion for the less fortunate, relief to poverty-stricken areas, protesting injustice, listening to a friend in need, and myriad other ways to infuse life with the expansive spirit of caring for others.

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