After Audit COVID Treatment Bills Reduced by Rs 50 Lakh in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad
Pune/Pimpri, August 26, 2020: The administration is investigating private hospitals in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad about the overpayments levied on coronavirus disease (COVID19) patients. Accordingly, the amount of 96 overpayments in various private hospitals in the area of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has been reduced so far. Out of this, Rs 38 lakh has been deducted from 65 overpayments from Pune and Rs 12 lakh out of 31 overpayments in Pimpri-Chinchwad, informed Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao.
He said, ‘”A team has been appointed to audit the hospital bills issued by private hospitals in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, which treat COVID19 positive patients. The team includes Deputy Commissioners, Chartered Accountants and Doctors. The team is conducting an audit of bills of more than Rs 1.5 lakh. The administration has been receiving complaints that private hospitals are charging extra for treatment of COVID19 positive patients.”
According to officials, payment checks should not delay the discharge of patients or retrieval of dead bodies in case of death of the patient, so the audit is being completed within an hour. So far, notices have been issued to 83 hospitals for levying extra payments, said Rao.
102 overpayments were checked in various private hospitals in Pune Municipal Corporation area. Out of these, 65 payments were found to be erroneous which means the concerned hospitals had levied extra payments. Out of 65 payments, these patients had paid Rs 2 crore 15 lakh, out of which Rs 38 lakh was deducted. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, 31 overpayments were investigated. A total of Rs 51 lakh 84 thousand was charged from these payments. Out of which 12.06 lakh were reduced. Thus, a total of Rs 50 lakh has been reduced from the overpayments levied by private hospitals in Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, said Divisional Commissioner Rao.
