Don’t Be Surprised by a No Surprises Act Violation
The No Surprises Act, which took effect on January 1, 2022, includes new rules about healthcare billing. The federal law is designed to protect customers from receiving unexpected bills from out-of-network providers for urgent or emergency care. Understanding these provisions can help your practice avoid costly sanctions while strengthening patient relationships with improved financial transparency. Defining the problem According to the Kaiser Family Foundation , 20% of emergency room visits result in surprise medical bills for the patient. This also occurs with up to 16% of non-emergency hospitalizations, specifically when the person receives care from an out-of-network provider they did not select (an anesthesiologist, for example). These surprise bills subject patients to higher out-of-network charges as well as denied claims. KFF reports that the No Surprises Act will eliminate about 10 million surprise billing incidents annually. Data in an article from Forbes indicates that th