Johns Hopkins researchers have found serious gaps in hospital billing data that are used for such important actions as calculating hospitals’ risk for high readmission rates, surgical complications and measuring the effects of health-policy changes.
The researchers wrote that, for example, there are “glaring flaws” because of underreporting of patients’ alcohol and tobacco use, weight and body mass.
Missing data can, of course, cause inaccurate risk adjustments, and thus unfair reimbursement.
