Removing a Splinter? Treating a Wart? If a Doctor Does It, It Can Be Billed as Surgery

December 13, 2024

Close up of 100-dollar bills

(KFF Health News) – More and more minor interventions, however, have been rebranded and billed as surgery, for profit. These tiny interventions don’t yield huge bills — in the hundreds rather than the thousands of dollars — but, cumulatively, they likely add up to tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars for doctors and hospitals annually. The surprise bills often catch patients off guard. And they must pay up if they haven’t met their insurance deductible. Even if they have, “surgery” generally requires a coinsurance payment, while an office visit doesn’t. (Read More)