Having medical insurance is no guarantee you won't be over billed. Many are finding inaccuracies in the bills they receive from hospitals and caregivers. The problem is less uncommon than one would think. It could be sloppiness or it could mean the right hand isn't talking to the left hand. Hospital billing procedures often do leave a lot to be desired, since there are so many involved in the patient's care. But errors do occur, and it is a good idea to do a line by line review of your hospital bill.
Recently, as a young nurse was combed through the bills for her husband's recent hospital stay, she found that there were charges for a drug that should have been $80, but was charged incorrectly at $875. There was also an administrative error which caused her husband to be hospitalized an extra day, and she knew from her hospital experience that they didn't have to pay for additional unneeded care because of a medical mistake. She also discovered a charge for administering one medication 7 times a day, when the doctor's prescription was only 4 times per day. In all, she uncovered $7000 worth of over charges on her bills.
So when you receive a hospital bill, it is a good idea to sit down and review it very carefully. If you have questions, sit down with your doctor instead of the hospital billing department. The billing department is clerical by nature, and they don't always have an accurate history of the care that was actually provided. Make sure you ask questions.
There are other options to help you come to a satisfactory resolution. Most cities have patient advocacy groups available to offer you free advice. They can direct you on what steps you need to take to get things corrected. And your state insurance commissioner can advise you if you need help with your insurance company.
We have health insurance so that we know things will be taken care of when something happens to us or a loved one, but don't fall prey to all the codes and numbers and just pay the bill as it is written. It is not uncommon for a medical bill to have errors, and you could be paying for things that you are not responsible for. So do your homework, and take the time to go over your hospital bill line by line, and you will more than likely find that the erroneous charges can easily be corrected.
Recently, as a young nurse was combed through the bills for her husband's recent hospital stay, she found that there were charges for a drug that should have been $80, but was charged incorrectly at $875. There was also an administrative error which caused her husband to be hospitalized an extra day, and she knew from her hospital experience that they didn't have to pay for additional unneeded care because of a medical mistake. She also discovered a charge for administering one medication 7 times a day, when the doctor's prescription was only 4 times per day. In all, she uncovered $7000 worth of over charges on her bills.
So when you receive a hospital bill, it is a good idea to sit down and review it very carefully. If you have questions, sit down with your doctor instead of the hospital billing department. The billing department is clerical by nature, and they don't always have an accurate history of the care that was actually provided. Make sure you ask questions.
There are other options to help you come to a satisfactory resolution. Most cities have patient advocacy groups available to offer you free advice. They can direct you on what steps you need to take to get things corrected. And your state insurance commissioner can advise you if you need help with your insurance company.
We have health insurance so that we know things will be taken care of when something happens to us or a loved one, but don't fall prey to all the codes and numbers and just pay the bill as it is written. It is not uncommon for a medical bill to have errors, and you could be paying for things that you are not responsible for. So do your homework, and take the time to go over your hospital bill line by line, and you will more than likely find that the erroneous charges can easily be corrected.
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