Examining Medicare
A Closer Look at Medicare Part B
A closer look at the services delivered by providers in Medicare’s Part B program — and the money they collect.
We’ve Updated Our Treatment Tracker
Our database now includes records from 2015. Look up your doctor and other providers in the Medicare Part B program.
Treatment Tracker
We've updated our database of Medicare’s payments to individual doctors and other health professionals serving the 49 million seniors and disabled in its Part B program.
Patient Guide
When choosing a doctor who's right for you, you don't have to rely exclusively on a friend's recommendation or a referral. Now you can check whether your medical provider practices similarly to his or her peers.
Treatment Tracker Methodology
How we made a news app to compare doctors Medicare billing patterns.
The Obscure Drug With a Growing Medicare Tab
Experts question the effectiveness of H.P. Acthar Gel, a drug made from pigs’ pituitary glands. Yet it cost Medicare more than $141 million in 2012, up from $7 million in 2008.
Why Are Obstetricians Among the Top Billers for Group Psychotherapy in Illinois?
Illinois leads the country in group psychotherapy sessions in Medicare, and some top billers aren’t mental health specialists. The state’s Medicaid program has cracked down, but federal officials have not.
Medicare Billing Outliers Often Have Disciplinary Problems, Too
As news organizations analyze data on Medicare payments, doctors with disciplinary records keep popping up.
Medicare Taken For a Ride By Ambulance Companies in New Jersey
The Garden State costs Medicare more than any other state for ambulance rides per kidney dialysis patient. A new crackdown is set to start, but at one big dialysis center, ambulances remain everywhere.
Medicare Overpays Billions for Office Visits, Patient Evaluations
The findings by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services complement a recent ProPublica review that found many doctors bill for services very differently than their peers.
How We Analyzed Medicare Part B Data
Using recently released Medicare data, we examined how doctors and other health professionals billed for office visits, one of the most common services patients receive. We found some doctors who billed for the most costly, most complex visits almost exclusively and charged top rates far more than their peers.
Top Billing: Meet the Docs who Charge Medicare Top Dollar for Office Visits
Medicare paid for more than 200 million office visits for established patients in 2012. Overall, health professionals classified only 4 percent as complex enough to command the most expensive rates. But 1,800 providers billed at the top level at least 90 percent of the time, a ProPublica analysis found. Experts question whether the charges are legitimate.
Even After Doctors Are Sanctioned or Arrested, Medicare Keeps Paying
A ProPublica analysis of recently released data shows that dozens of physicians who received payments from Medicare in 2012 had been kicked out of Medicaid, charged with fraud, or settled claims of overbilling Medicare itself.
