Charging in excess for services or supplies is an example of

• A. An example of fraud
• B. An example of abuse
• C. A permissible billing practice
• D. A clerical error

Answer: (B)

Charging in excess for services or supplies shows abuse in healthcare billing. Abuse consists of improper billing practices that aren’t aligned with accepted billing standards or medical necessity and that lead to unnecessary higher payments, often due to lack of proper billing knowledge or oversight. It isn’t automatically fraud, which requires intentional deception or misrepresentation to obtain money (such as billing for services not performed or knowingly upcoding). It also isn’t a clerical error, which would be a simple, accidental data-entry mistake. So overcharging fits the pattern of abuse because it reflects improper billing practices that unjustifiably increase payments, even if there isn’t an explicit intent to defraud.