CBR stands for Comparative Billing Report. Medicare CBRs are sent to healthcare providers whose billing or prescribing pattern differs from their peers within the same specialty state- and nationwide. Such reports are aimed at notifying and educating healthcare providers of significant divergence. For example, a provider may receive a CBR because he/she may have billed certain procedure codes at a greater frequency than the providers from the same specialty in the same geographical area. At the same time, having a higher-than-average allowed amount per claim, as well as the number of procedures performed per Medicare beneficiary may also be a reason for a CBR. The report always includes the following data for each of the mentioned indicators:
• National average
• State average
• Provider’s average
Each chart in the CBR covers the extent to which the intended provider’s indicators are higher within a specific date range.
Comparative Billing Reports are not the same as audits. Moreover, they do not require any response from an affected healthcare provider. However, carefully reviewing such reports is a good way to analyze your practice and act on your future billing pattern, if applicable.
