When Threads Collide
 

Upcoding is a form of medical insurance fraud. Medical providers are supposed to fill charts and forms with industry standard numeric codes to describe conditions and prescribed treatment procedures for insurance purposes. Different procedure codes result in different reimbursement rates. An unscrupulous doctor might "upcode" a dry hacking cough to bronchitis, or an ace bandage to a walking cast, in order to obtain more favorable insurance reimbursement.

Sorry, I thought this was widely known.

The "upcode up" part was probably a typo. I'm not sure, because I'm marginally more sober than when I posted previously.

When Threads Collide
 

Docs and other medical providers use CPT codes (standardized numerical codes) to bill for patient services (this all started with Medicare/Medicaid). The CPT codes tell insurers what services were provided. Misuse of these standardized codes to obtain more money than is allowed by law is commonly termed “upcoding” or “upcharging.” The more serious the medical conditions, the more medical conditions listed as being present or treated, and the more extensive the services rendered, the greater the payment. So, if a doc upcodes your condition from "gassy" to "minor cardial infarction" he gets more money and you, the hypochondriac, are made happy by your greater standing in the disease community.

britney
 

If it wasn't for the fact that it was on E!'s website, I'd have to say that the photo was a bad Photoshop cut and paste job. Her head looks like it was pasted on to a fat ballerina's body.

When Threads Collide
 

Thrasher, right now I feel closer to you than I have ever felt.

Well, if the cute girl is smiling a little but, suggest to her that you both depart at the next stop and that you and she can add to youur crusty collection.

edited by Not Bob to fix the quote codes -- because he cares.

Connecticut Weddings
 

Dude, you clearly have not been watching COPS. She (and others like her) chose that dress BECAUSE it accentuated her tats. Oooh, look Chrissy, this dress shows BOTH of my tats at the same time. And it's half off. I'll take it!

When Threads Collide
 

awww and I thought working in healthcare made me un-crushworthy. :kisscheek

The Simple Life
 

You can always hope...

But in reality, those marriages don't necessarily involve sex. Have you been to Palm Springs? That place is full of marriages of convenience. The trophy wives "travel" with the other trophy wives, they go to Cabo, pick up hunky guys they'll never see again, come home when husband is out-of-town on business. And it perpetuates for years. You just have to plan right. I'm sure that Dodi Fayad would have ended up like that eventually.

When Threads Collide
 

It's insurance fraud. Each medical diagnosis has a code, and generally there are levels of care per diagnosis. In order to get more money from insurance companies, providers sometimes may "upcode" and code at a higher level than the service that was given.

Edited to add: Scroll THEN post.

Connecticut Weddings
 

In that case, her dress should've just been topless, because it looks like the bodice is covering up half of a boob tat. Perhaps she could've used pasties for her "something blue" then?

Connecticut Weddings
 

I think that's the entire boob tat. Fortunately, the picture is upper half so we don't have to gaze at the thigh tats, or the requisite ankle tat (which probably sez Metallica rulez!).

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

??????

I had two tattoos when I got married, though I didn't wear white for other reasons. Do tattoos = whore?

(I agree however that visible tattoos on women are far from TITS!!!!)

britney
 

Will someone please please kill Aerosmith...

Please?

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

This is why I love this board. If I hadn't read that women with tattoos shouldn't wear white at their weddings, I would have never known this important ettiquite rule and would have likely committed a major faux pas at my future wedding. Off white it is!

Connecticut Weddings
 

And the probable ass-tat with her groom's name on it is going to be really painful to remove after her inevitable divorce. Or I suppose she could just keep it and rack up names of exes on her butt like a scoreboard. Ah, romance!

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

Yes, but only in the best sense of the word.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

NTTAWWT - male or female.

You're safe
 

Leagl, and other non-music-thieves, will not be prosecuted for de minimis (mis)use by the RIAA.

Yahoo!

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

no; slut.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

It just means you are going to hell, see Leviticus 19:28:

"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD."

I'll bang you there.

When Threads Collide
 

No need to apologize - I'm sure it is widely known. I'm just in the early stages of education on US medical insurance.

Connecticut Weddings
 

I knew a girl (friend would be a stretch) who hooked up with a carney when we were teenagers. She had his name tattoed on her leg, went on the road with the fair and came back alone and heartbroken a few weeks later. She spoke of having the tattoo removed or covered but in the end decided that it would be easiest to name her illegitimate child after its carney father and keep the tattoo.

Connecticut Weddings
 

I'm more scared of carnies than Kramer is of clowns...

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

while I am not sure what "for the dead" means with reference to flesh cutting, it sounds like anyone with plastic surgery is going to hell. Poor doomed religious hypocrite Ann Coulter. God, I saw her on Bill Maher the other night and she made some comment about abortions and adultery and not gong to church. Anyone buying that this party girl who uses the Right to make buck has never had an abortion?

(one to go, gotta save it)

Edited to fix tag--RT

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

oh, no in the year 2003 tattoed women can wear white. my impression here was that the two particular tattoos, and they way she choose to show them off (at 18) raised some questions about her judgement* that had me thinking she probably has taken other action where she should have passed on the white. matter of fact, given some of the stories recounted on this board lately, i don't believe I'd advise the groom to kiss her if I were the priest.

*recently saw a 50 year old biker chick with a tit-tat. tit-tats do not age well

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

Same here and I wore white. As DebtSlave will tell you though, the wearing of white by the bride is a recent invention and (I think) has nothing to do with whether you are a whore or not. Anyone can wear it.

Connecticut Weddings
 

And now the Lord hath wrought [his/her] vengence on the carney's soul --

http://www.theolympian.com/home/news...st/77820.shtml

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

how did you manage 64000+ posts while we weren't looking?

You're safe
 

Yay! Not that this is relevant to me in any way however.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

William Bennett will take that bet.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

Two tats for the price of one. Early on it is a beautiful red rose with which to tempt the young lads to suckle at the teat of life. Later, a long-stem whose stem stretches to drink from the waters that flow from the rivers below her belly-button from whence life once flowed.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

that's poetic, althought not having the visual image of the tat probably makes it easier to wax poetic.

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

Neither do the ass tats. Of course, all tats tend to blur over time so I guess it doesn't help that the ass tats and tit tats tend to end up on the ladies who enlarge with age.

Scott Weiland Clean and Sober
 

What happened to the GNR album during which he felt the need, the need for speed?

Mecha-Bridezilla
 

Bitch; please.

You're safe
 

Woowooo

You're safe
 

Notice they don't quantify de minimis. I think there must be a limit to the demon porn you can download.

You're safe
 

Well, you know, a little demon porn goes a long way.

You're safe
 

I'm not sure that I do know. Please 'splain.

Lies and the Lying Liars that tell them
 

Is Al Franken loving this or what? Here's your update...

NEW YORK, Aug. 19 — Arguments will begin Friday in federal court as Fox News Channel seeks a preliminary injunction against distribution of Al Franken’s new book. Franken’s attorney, Floyd Abrams, argues that it is really a First Amendment issue and that trademark infringement cases must yield to the Bill of Rights.
New York District Court Judge Denny Chin will hear arguments in the case. The parties gave Chin three- to four-page letters in a hearing Thursday, according to Abrams, who said he gave Chin a copy of the book and told him that 250,000 copies will have been distributed to bookstores nationwide by the middle of this week.
During the weekend, Bill O’Reilly, host of Fox’s popular debate show “The O’Reilly Factor,” fiercely defended the network’s lawsuit and attacked Franken in his syndicated newspaper column.
“It is simply a sorry joke to see a political activist like Al Franken labeled a ‘satirist’ by the New York Times. Sources close to Franken believe that O’Reilly pushed Fox to pursue the lawsuit because of his intense dislike of the comedian and that O’Reilly was irate that his picture appeared above the word “Lies” on the book’s cover.

Anyone know Judge Chin?