Having medical insurance is no guarantee you won't be overbilled. 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.
One young nurse recently had an eye opening experience as she was reviewing the bills from her husband's recent hospital stay. It appears he had been scheduled to be released on a particular day, and that wasn't communicated somehow, causing him to have to stay an extra day. There were excessive charges for administering medication 7 times per day when it was only prescribed 4 times per day. And then there was the charge for $875 for one item that she knew from her hospital work should have only been around $80. Clerical error. By the time she was finished, she had discovered nearly $7000 of incorrect charges.
If you have recently had a hospital stay, it is a good idea to make sure it is itemized and then sit down and review it. If you have questions, sit down with your doctor and not the billing departmentof the hospital. They work is clerical and they don't always have the correct history of your care. And no matter what, make sure you ask questions.
If you are unable to find satisfactory answers to your questions, you do have other resources. There are patient advocate groups available to help. And don't hesitate to contact the insurance commissioner in your state if you are having issues 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. - 16928
One young nurse recently had an eye opening experience as she was reviewing the bills from her husband's recent hospital stay. It appears he had been scheduled to be released on a particular day, and that wasn't communicated somehow, causing him to have to stay an extra day. There were excessive charges for administering medication 7 times per day when it was only prescribed 4 times per day. And then there was the charge for $875 for one item that she knew from her hospital work should have only been around $80. Clerical error. By the time she was finished, she had discovered nearly $7000 of incorrect charges.
If you have recently had a hospital stay, it is a good idea to make sure it is itemized and then sit down and review it. If you have questions, sit down with your doctor and not the billing departmentof the hospital. They work is clerical and they don't always have the correct history of your care. And no matter what, make sure you ask questions.
If you are unable to find satisfactory answers to your questions, you do have other resources. There are patient advocate groups available to help. And don't hesitate to contact the insurance commissioner in your state if you are having issues 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. - 16928
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