Look to State Laws for Patient Reimbursement
Question: I’m going through the books at my small, private practice. There are many instances of patients having made small-dollar overpayments. Many of these overpayments are years old. Do I really have to issue and mail checks for values that are less than, say, $4? AAPC Forum Participant Answer: You’ll probably already do this, but if the patient is still an active patient in your practice, you can apply the balances as credits toward their next appointment. Generally, you should talk to an accountant and an attorney, as, at this point, the situation more of an accounting or legal matter than a practice management issue. Going forward, you should establish a policy, including a timeline, on identifying and resolving payment issues so your books are balanced — and you don’t have to worry about violating state or federal laws. Your state may have laws and information on how to handle unclaimed property; make sure you check for information that specifically pertains to your state or region. Here’s a resource specific to Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC). Be especially careful if you received overpayments from Medicare/Medicaid. Check out this chapter on overpayments from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Rachel Dorrell, MA, MS, CPC-A, CPPM, Development Editor, AAPC
