Which unsafe billing practice might occur with duplicate billing?

The practice of submitting multiple claims for the same service is a significant issue in healthcare billing, often referred to as duplicate billing. This occurs when a provider unintentionally or intentionally bills for a single rendered service more than once, which can lead to overpayment by insurers or patients. Duplicate billing not only violates ethical billing standards but can also result in legal ramifications under healthcare regulations, such as those enforced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other entities.

When multiple claims are submitted for the same service, it can distort the integrity of healthcare data, complicate the audit processes, and lead to wrongful denials of claims or reimbursement delays. This practice can create confusion and mistrust between patients and providers, and it may cause unnecessary administrative burdens.

In contrast, the other options represent different types of billing practices that may also be unsafe but do not specifically align with the definition of duplicate billing. For instance, billing one service to different patients or billing for services not rendered directly involve fraudulent activity but not duplicates of the same service. Charging different prices for the same procedure, while potentially misleading, doesn't inherently relate to duplicate billing either.