Top billing in theft of medical insurance cash

There are no medical billing codes for vacations, spa treatments, cars and wedding costs, as a Mesa, Arizona, woman recently learned.

The medical biller who worked for two doctors is now facing six years in prison after pleading guilty to felony charges in the theft of over 1,000 checks from medical insurance companies, writing the losses off as either “payment reductions” or as “uncollectable bad debt,” according to an article posted by the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Part-time medical biller Sharon Ashcroft then used the money for a host of personal luxuries, according to the wire service.

While Ms. Ashcroft fiddled with health coverage and bills, she apparently didn’t cover her tracks: a new office manager discovered the fraud in 2017 while going over paperwork, according to the news report.