Certified Inpatient Coding (CIC) Practice Exam 2025 - Free CIC Practice Questions and Study Guide

Bundling refers to the consolidation of multiple procedures or services into a single payment structure, particularly under systems like the Medicare Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRG). This approach encourages more efficient healthcare delivery by allowing providers to receive one comprehensive payment for all services related to a patient's treatment episode, rather than billing separately for each individual procedure.

Under this method, various related medical services performed during a single patient encounter can be covered under one payment. This not only simplifies the billing process but also promotes cost-effectiveness by reducing administrative overhead and encouraging providers to deliver high-quality care without the incentive to perform unnecessary treatments just for additional fees.

The other options do not accurately reflect the concept of bundling. Separating billing for each procedure indicates a fee-for-service model, which is the opposite of bundling. Creating multiple claims for reimbursement and refusing to bill for unrelated services also diverge from the principle of bundling, which aims to streamline and consolidate payments rather than fragment them. Thus, option B captures the essence of bundling in coding accurately by highlighting the integration of multiple services into a single payment under MS-DRG.