Which statement best describes the purpose of a claims scrubber?

• A. To encrypt patient data.
• B. To automatically approve claims.
• C. To identify mistakes in claims before submission.
• D. To file tax returns.

Answer: (C)

A claims scrubber is a quality-control tool in medical billing that pre-checks a claim against coding rules, payer edits, and data completeness before submission. It looks for common errors such as mismatched or invalid codes, missing patient or insurance details, incorrect dates, and inappropriate modifiers. By catching these issues early, it helps ensure claims are clean on first submission, reducing denials and the need for rework. It isn’t about encrypting data, automatically approving claims, or filing taxes, but about identifying and correcting mistakes before the claim leaves the office.