Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1013711
32 CODING & BILLING Spine surgeon collectes $847k from Medicare after surrendering license — And he's not alone: 5 things to know By Laura Dyrda T he Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently revealed that now-deceased spine surgeon Cyril Raben, MD, continued practicing medicine aer surrendering his license and collected thousands from Medi- care before his death. Dr. Raben obtained a license to practice medicine in several states, but by the end of his career he le a trail of complications and patient deaths. Here are five things to know: 1. Dr. Raben practiced for many years in Arkansas, but a 2007 review of 15 surgical cases found a 73 percent complication rate. e review was conducted aer a patient complained about Dr. Raben; the patient was paralyzed as a result of surgery he per- formed. In 2014, he told the Arkansas board he would no longer perform surgeries in the state, but he did bill Medicare for $44,000 in 2015 for performing spinal injections. 2. During that time, Dr. Raben also practiced medicine in Ohio and Minnesota. In 2014, Dr. Raben surrendered his medical license in Ohio following reports from patients who died or were paralyzed during spine proce- dures he performed. 3. From 2013 to 2015, Dr. Raben received around $1.3 million from Medicare for surgery he performed, with around $847,000 coming aer he surrendered his license to practice in Ohio. 4. Although Dr. Raben admitted to being sued between 15 and 30 times in either Ohio, Minnesota or Arkansas, he continued providing medical care and billing for his services. Dr. Raben also had his license in Pennsylvania and Missouri revoked, and he surrendered his license in Texas. While Dr. Raben and his insurance company settled at least three cases in three different states, he continued practicing medicine until his death in 2017. 5. Dr. Raben was not alone in collecting Medicare payments aer surrendering his license; in 2015, there were 216 physicians with surrendered or revoked licenses, or who were excluded from the state-paid healthcare rolls, that were on Medicare's payment rolls. All together, those 216 physicians received $25.8 million in 2015. n 5 ASCs report 50% patient volume boost 1 year after posting prices online: 7 findings By Angie Stewart A SCs saw increased business, revenue and pa- tient satisfaction one year after posting prices for surgical procedures online, according to a study published in The American Surgeon. Between April and May 2016, Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University researchers studied six ASCs with prices for common operations listed on their websites. The U.S.-based centers were selected from a Free Market Medical Association database. Here are seven findings, as reported in EurekAlert!: 1. Five of the six centers reported a 50 percent midrange or median patient volume increase one year after publicly posting prices. 2. Four centers saw a 30 percent midrange increase in revenue in the same period. 3. Three facilities reported an increase of seven new third- party administrator contracts, on average. Three experi- enced a decrease in administrative burden. 4. Five centers observed improved patient satisfaction and patient engagement. 5. All six respondents would recommend price transpar- ency as a marketing strategy to other providers. 6. The top barrier to price transparency was discourage- ment from hospitals, other providers or insurance compa- nies, respondents said. 7. The study doesn't prove the increased business out- comes and patient satisfaction are directly caused by price transparency policies. However, four of the centers said they do believe price transparency was behind the increases in annual revenue and demand for services. n Dr. Raben received around $1.3 million from Medicare for surgeries he performed, with around $847,000 coming after he surrendered his license to practice in Ohio.