Prompt pay statutes for physicians' billing claims: an imperfect remedy for a systemic problem.

Physicians are losing millions of dollars per year from delayed and wrongfully denied claims. Class actions provide for certain forms of prospective relief but do not cover physician losses from payers' vexatious conduct. This article examines the effect of state prompt pay statutes and recent amendments to ERISA regulations on curtailing payer payment abuses. The article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the statutes, as well as strategies for effectively using the statutes for the benefit of physicians.