Unbundling
Also called: Fragmentation
In plain English
When a provider bills separately for procedures that should be grouped together under a single, cheaper code. This artificially inflates the total bill.
Real-world example
A surgical procedure includes pre-operative evaluation, the surgery itself, and standard post-operative follow-up — all covered under one code. The provider bills each component separately, charging you for three services instead of one.
Why this matters for your bill
Unbundling is technical and hard for patients to spot, but it's common. CMS maintains the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) which lists which codes should be bundled together. If your bill has many small charges for what seemed like one procedure, unbundling may be the cause.
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