The Basics Of Chiropractor Insurance FraudA rarely mentioned type of fraud, chiropractor insurance fraud actually costs insurance companies millions of dollars each year. This particular type of medical insurance fraud only applies to individuals who have chiropractor coverage in their policy. It is very similar to health care insurance fraud and many of those committing it are actually professional chiropractors.
The health care profession has realized in recent years that chiropractors have a place in overall body health. When a person is suffering from aches and pains, they are often referred to a chiropractor who uses physical manipulation to realign the body. One of the appealing things about seeing a chiropractor is that it's viewed as a form of alternative medicine and many people actually are able to forego taking prescription medications after just one or two visits with the chiropractor. Much like a doctor or dentist office, the chiropractor's office bills the insurance companies for services rendered. Therefore the most popular type of chiropractic insurance fraud involves billing errors or add-ons. Some chiropractic offices order additional tests such as x-rays or MRI's to determine the extent of an individual's injury. Chiropractor insurance scams often involves billing for these procedures even when they haven't been conducted. There is a popular scam that runs through the medical insurance arena and it has also found its place in chiropractic offices. Staged automobile accidents often result in difficult to diagnosis injuries such as the soft tissue injury of whiplash. Chiropractors are sometimes turned to in an effort to alleviate the pain associated with an injury like this. In the case of someone committing this form of insurance fraud, after the staged accident occurs, the individual visits the chiropractor who then bills the guilty party's health insurance plan for large expenses that are deemed necessary for treatment. Typically the person who was supposedly injured will receive a portion of the proceeds that the chiropractic office is bringing in. In a scam such as this it's easy to see that many different people take part. This type of health care insurance fraud doesn't appear to be as far reaching or overwhelming as typical medical related fraud simply because most health care plans actually don't cover the expenses of a chiropractor or if they do, there is a small annual limit applied to expenses. Patients can take an active role in helping to stop chiropractor insurance fraud by asking for a detailed list of all expenses being submitted to their health care plan. It is well within the patient's rights to request this and it can help to deter the chiropractic office from filing false or misleading claims on the patient's behalf. The patient can also ask for this list from their health insurance plan if that's more comfortable for them. |