Aetna sues surgery centers for overbilling

Aetna is suing seven California surgery centers, claiming they illegally lure customers and overbill up to 2,500 percent more than they pay providers for procedures, reported Bloomberg. The lawsuit, filed in California state court in Santa Clara County, alleges that aetna paid excessive fees to the Bay Area Surgical Management and the six centers it manages, citing a $22,027 bill for shoulder arthroscopy and $119,671 each in fees for 12 lower-back surgeries. Aetna also seeks to stop the centers from waiving coinsurance payments required for out-of-network providers. The "scheme must be promptly declared illegal to preclude its continuation and replication throughout California, and to avoid the potential consequences of irreparably damaging a system of healthcare delivery on which millions of citizens rely," aetna said in the suit. Article