Is it acceptable to report incorrect treatment dates on claim forms to ensure payment of claims?

• A. True
• B. False
• C. It depends on the payer
• D. Not allowed to report errors

Answer: (B)

Submitting dates for treatment that aren’t true is a form of misrepresentation that amounts to fraud. Payers rely on accurate information to determine what to pay and when, so altering or inventing treatment dates to obtain payment undermines the integrity of the claim process and can trigger serious consequences.

The best approach is to keep all billing information truthful and to correct any errors through proper channels. If a date on a claim is incorrect, document the correct date in the patient record and follow the payer’s procedures for submitting a corrected claim or an adjustment. This keeps the billing honest and protects the practitioner from legal and ethical risk while still allowing claims to be resolved appropriately.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: trying to rely on a specific payer’s rules to justify misrepresentation would still be fraudulent, since it involves submitting false information. Claiming that errors aren’t reportable ignores the need to correct mistakes openly and through the right processes. And the notion that you must withhold or falsify information to ensure payment directly conflicts with professional ethics and legal requirements for honest billing.