Cook Children's Medical Center

Cost Outlier

Cost Outlier means this provider charges significantly more per claim than other providers billing the same procedure codes. This could indicate upcoding, inflated charges, or specialized services that justify higher costs.

Billing Swing

Billing Swing means this provider's total billing changed dramatically from one year to the next — increasing or decreasing by more than 200% with over $1M in absolute change. This could indicate a change in practice scope, a billing scheme ramping up, or legitimate growth.

Rate Outlier

Rate Outlier means this provider charges above the 90th percentile for multiple different procedure codes simultaneously. While one high-cost code could reflect specialization, consistently high rates across many codes may indicate systematic overbilling.

Explosive Growth

Explosive Growth means this provider's billing increased by more than 500% year-over-year. While rapid expansion can be legitimate, this pattern has been observed in fraud schemes that ramp up billing quickly before detection.

High Cost Per Claim

High Cost Per Claim means each individual claim from this provider costs significantly more than what other providers charge for the same services. This could indicate upcoding (billing for more expensive services than provided) or legitimate specialized care.

Spending Spike

Spending Spike means this provider experienced a dramatic, sudden increase in billing over a short period. Legitimate causes include new contracts or expanded services, but this pattern also appears in billing fraud ramp-ups.