Top 20 counties for high coding

U.S. counties in which doctors billed the highest percentage* of the two most expensive Medicare codes for established patients in 2008.

1. Santa Rosa County, Fla. (60%)
2. Escambia County, Fla. (57%)
3. Merrimack County, N.H. (56%)
4. Strafford County, N.H. (56%)
5. Washington County, Okla. (56%)
6. Colbert County, Ala. (55%)
7. Baldwin County, Ala. (55%)
8. Cumberland County, N.C. (55%)
9. Shelby County, Ala. (54%)
10. Whatcom County, Wash. (54%)
11. Limestone County, Ala. (53%)
12. Chittenden County, Vt. (53%)
13. Warren County, Ohio (52%)
14. Hunterdon County, N.J.  (51%)
15. York County, Maine (51%)
16. Clay County, Fla. (51%)
17. Arapahoe County, Colo. (50%)
18. Imperial County, Calif. (50%)
19. Adams County, Colo. (50%)
20. Duval County, Fla. (50%)

*For counties with at least 100 claims in the sample citing either or both of the top two billing codes