Are Your Medical Bills Out of Control?
If you are like many America’s facing unexpected medical bills the task of sorting through invoices can be tedious.
Patients are frustrated to receive multiple bills, for such things as hospital services, with little to no explanations as to what the invoice includes.
None of this surprises Pat Palmer, the founder of Medical Billing Advocates of America. “We get feedback from consumers saying that providers are telling them ‘We can’t give you an itemized statement’ or ‘You should have asked for it before you left the hospital.'”
For those with confusing or huge hospital bills some experts’ advise patients to take the following steps.
Knowing your patient rights within a doctor’s office or hospital is the first step in avoiding financial disagreements. Make it clear that you are aware of your legal right to have such things as an itemizes invoice.
Get explanations in writing and take protests to the top. All communications with a provider should be in writing and if customer service departments are not helpful avoid them and write a letter to the chief financial officer.
Ask for help from you insurer. They have a responsibility to some degree to what happens between you and a contracted physician and can often be a great ally.
And finally seek help and file complaints if your bill is much higher then you expected or can afford. Organizations such as Medical Billing Advocates of America and Health Proponent can help you fight charges or lower your bill.
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- Professional Medical
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