GPs saving Medicare millions by underbilling patients, study reveals
GPs are undercharging because they fear Medicare audits, say researchers.
GPs are 10 times more likely to undercharge Medicare than overcharge, and the savings “dwarf” any amount that would come from overbilling, a study has found.
Much of the undercharging came from longer consultations billed as shorter appointments, according to the findings, which used Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) data. Some of it was because of doctors fearing they would be audited.
