Mucous recovery system

There is an interesting article in todays New York Times  about a service that now exists to help recovering  patients make their way through all the false charges on their hospital bills. These self titled "medical advocates" charge to help you navigate  the language of the insurance companies and  hopefully spot  instances of double billing and fraud. That's the premise anyway.  The article offers examples of such charges. For instance:

" According to some surveys, as many as 9 out of 10 bills from  medical providers include errors, according to the Medical Billing Advocates of America. Often these errors have to do with billing for services that were not provided. Lin Osborn, a medical advocate in Westchester County, N.Y., says she has seen several cases in which patients were charged a separate fee for closing a surgical incision."

In other words, one fee for making the incision. Another fee for closing it. Now that is some creative billing. But my favorite part of the article details the new phrases that the hospitals have invented to help disguise the over charging.

” Then there are the well-publicized overcharges like $11 for a box of tissues, itemized as “a disposable mucus recovery system” or a $15 bag of ice listed as “thermal therapy.”

"Thermal therapy" for ice is very good, I agree. That was some fancy thinking.  But DISPOSABLE MUCUS RECOVERY SYSTEM is brilliant. I am so impressed.

Despite the fact that apparently our current "system" has apparently been great for creativity, I sure hope they manage to push this health care stuff through.