HOUSTON, TEXAS , UNITED STATES, March 8, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Surprise medical billing occurs when patients, who have health insurance, receive in-network care but unexpectedly receive “surprise” bills from other clinicians involved in their care who are considered out-of-network. This issue is important because most insurance plans typically do not reimburse out-of-network expenses. This discrepancy in billing often falls upon the patient as they are liable for these unexpected charges, also known as “balance bills”. While this issue has not been traditionally discussed within the field of dermatology, it may be manifested through dermatology consultation (in the emergency room or inpatient setting) or via laboratory services.

A new article in SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^® discusses surprise medical billing reform and its implications for dermatology patients. Lead author Yuangao Liu, BS and colleagues highlight the difficulties in reforming surprise medical billing as a whole. This is because the solution must incorporate preferences from the patient, physician and payer. As of 2021, 33 states have enacted some form of surprise billing reform but the scope varies. The authors go on to discuss “The No Surprises Act” federal bill which went into effect on January 1st, 2022. The goal of this legislation is to set national standards to protect patients from unexpected medical bills while establishing processes for providers and payers to resolve billing disputes.

The authors conclude that these new efforts will hopefully be beneficial to patients by providing transparency. The American Academy of Dermatology is in support of measures to increase patient protection and is aware of the legislation’s impact on reimbursement and administrative time. Future research in this area is needed to evaluate this new legislation’s impact on dermatologic patient care.

DOI: 10.25251/skin.6.2.18

SKIN: The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine^® is a peer-reviewed online medical journal that is the official journal of The National Society for Cutaneous Medicine. The mission of SKIN is to provide an enhanced and accelerated route to disseminate new dermatologic knowledge for all aspects of cutaneous disease.

For more details please visit www.jofskin.org or contact jofskin@gmail.com.

Yuangao Liu
Baylor College of Medicine
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