All articles tagged with #billing
Clients are flooding law firms with AI-generated emails, patent documents and strategy drafts, slowing review times and potentially raising bills. Firms may respond by pacing replies, or by adjusting pricing on fixed-fee contracts, while reviewing AI output can add hours for hourly-billed work. AI is reshaping the practice but has not replaced lawyers due to confidentiality, data protection and accuracy concerns.
AI-powered clinical scribes, touted to cut costs, are instead driving up healthcare expenses by (1) capturing more detailed notes that shift visits to higher billing codes, (2) nudging clinicians to add diagnoses discussed during visits, and (3) increasing clinician capacity to see more patients, leading to higher overall costs rather than savings.
Some pregnant women in the U.S. are being asked to prepay for maternity care, a practice that is legal but considered unethical by patient advocacy groups. This upfront billing can cause financial stress and anxiety, potentially leading women to forgo prenatal care or face difficulties switching providers. The practice stems from the high costs of maternity care and the way it is billed, with providers seeking to ensure payment for services. While the Affordable Care Act covers certain prenatal services, it doesn't prevent early billing, leaving patients to navigate complex insurance and billing systems.
The author shares their experience of saving thousands of dollars on medical bills by carefully reviewing and disputing charges, staying organized with insurance claims, and confirming correct billing with their insurance company. They advise checking orders from physicians against billed services, ensuring proper reimbursement from insurance, confirming correct billing with the physician, and not assuming responsibility for a payment just because a bill is received.
Netflix is removing access to iTunes billing for users who have been paying through the platform, requiring them to pay the company directly. This change affects those on the basic plan and follows Netflix's decision to stop allowing new customers to sign up for in-app subscriptions on Apple devices in 2018. Customers who were enjoying grandfathered pricing will now have to pay the current rates, which have increased since the removal of the $10 basic plan in the US and the UK.
Netflix is cutting off Apple iTunes billing for longtime subscribers, requiring them to pay directly using a credit or debit card. This change affects members on the basic plan who were using an iTunes method of payment, and marks the end of a long saga between Netflix and Apple over in-app subscription options and fees.
Netflix is ending its association with Apple's App Store billing system, notifying subscribers who currently pay through Apple to update their payment method to continue accessing the service. This change marks the complete departure from the App Store billing system, eliminating the need to pay Apple a percentage of revenue for any of its subscribers. Although it's unclear which countries this change applies to, the move signifies Netflix's shift away from the App Store billing system.
The U.S. is investigating an alleged Medicare fraud scheme estimated at $2 billion, involving fraudulent insurance claims for urinary catheters submitted by seven companies to the taxpayer-funded health insurance program for older Americans. The scheme, uncovered by health-care groups, saw a surge in bills submitted to Medicare for catheters that patients never ordered or received. Federal officials are investigating the companies involved, which have collectively billed Medicare about $2 billion for catheters in 2022 and 2023. The alleged fraud has raised concerns among healthcare providers and patients, with calls for swift action to combat fraudulent billing practices.
The author shares their experience of undergoing a colonoscopy without knowing the cost beforehand and seeking advice from a doctor on navigating the healthcare billing system. The doctor recommends understanding insurance coverage, shopping around for the best price, and negotiating the bill if it's higher than expected. The article highlights the challenges of cost transparency in the healthcare system and provides practical steps for patients to take control of their medical expenses.
Google Fi is changing how the Google One perk is managed for its Wireless Unlimited Plus subscribers, allowing them to manage their Google One subscription directly from the Fi account page. However, this change may result in a misleading cancellation alert, which Google Fi assures users they can ignore. Any upgrades to the Google One subscription will be billed to the Fi account, and if users leave Google Fi, they have a 7-day grace period to resubscribe to Google One without any loss of service. The 100GB of Google One storage included in the Unlimited Plus plan remains unchanged.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) has temporarily charged some Tulsa customers for electricity they did not use due to a billing system error. The company has apologized for the mistake and promised to correct the issue as soon as possible.
An attorney from an undisclosed Biglaw firm has reportedly billed the most hours in 2022, recording 3,737 billable hours, according to data collected for the 2023 Am Law 100 ranking.
Three major utility companies in California have proposed a new billing structure that would charge customers based on their income. The plan would include a fixed-income rate and a reduced usage charge based on consumption, with low-income households paying as little as $15 a month and households making over $180,000 a year paying up to $85 more per month. The proposal is part of the companies' compliance with California state legislation and would need approval from the California Public Utilities Commission.
Three major utility companies in California have proposed a new billing structure that would charge customers based on their income. The plan would include a fixed-income rate and a reduced usage charge based on consumption, with low-income households paying as little as $15 a month and households making over $180,000 a year paying up to $85 more per month. The California Public Utilities Commission would need to approve the proposal, with the fixed rate potentially appearing on bills as soon as 2025.