A DIY Guide to Achieving True & Accurate Charges and Fair & Reasonable Prices (Part 1)
You have just come home from a stay in the hospital and are recuperating from an emergency procedure. You are still recovering from the ordeal and just want to concentrate on getting back to your normal state of health and go back to your daily life.
However, not long into your home recovery, you receive the bills for your hospital stay; a bill from the facility, a bill from your doctor, a bill from a surgeon and a bill from an anesthesiologist. You have health insurance, but even after your insurance company has paid their portion, it leaves you with a debt of tens of thousands of dollars. The stress of these medical bills is not helping with your recovery period. What do you do?
If you are proactive, you can be very successful in getting your medical bills reduced to their True & Accurate amount. First, request a detailed, itemized statement of your bill as soon as possible. Once you receive this, check every charge to make sure you are not being charged for something you did not receive.
Look for dates and times to make sure you were not charged for extra time in the facility. The best way to ensure accuracy is to make notes during your stay, if at all possible. If you are not able, designate a family member or friend who is with you during your stay to document every item given to you along with the date and time. This will come in handy when you’re trying to fight an erroneous charge.
If you were unable to take notes of the specific items, tests and procedures during your stay and you are unsure of what you actually received, look for things you know you would not have received, such as medications you are allergic to or a test or procedure that had nothing to do with your ailment or condition.
If you find anything that is questionable on your itemized statement, contact the provider and question it. If necessary, order the medical records of your stay and compare everything. Again, any inconsistency or suspicious charge should be questioned.
Once you have made sure that your charges are true and accurate, it’s time to get your bill down to what is fair and reasonable. Analyze the amounts you were charged. Does it seem reasonable to be charged hundreds of dollars for a routine supply?
Most routine supplies shouldn’t be charged to you at all; they are most likely worked into the room charge. Look into what other surrounding facilities charge for the same supplies, medications and procedures. Is there a large difference? If the facility you received care from is substantially higher than neighboring facilities, this can be a major bargaining point for you.
Last but not least, contact a medical billing advocate for any questions you might have. If you don’t have time to deal with the facilities or if you are uncomfortable taking steps to reduce your bill, let the professionals at Medical Billing Advocates of America do it for you.
