errors in hospital bills
A couple months ago I was in the ER for a migraine and got a shot of Imitrex. When I got the bill, it was about $800! That seemed much too high to me so I called and asked for an itemized bill.
The bill included the ER charge, one IM injection and one dose of Imitrex, which totaled about $400.
It also included starting an IV (I did not have an IV) and administering three doses of meds by IV (but I was only charged for one dose of Imitrex and no other meds, so what were they administering three times through that nonexistent IV?). That stuff, that I never got, cost about another $400.
I'm waiting now for the nurse auditor to call me back.
Just make sure and check your bills.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
RNY March 21, 2011!! I'm feeling great!!
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Speaking from the hospital administration point of view, we are always happy to provide itemized bills when patients request them. We strive to bill patients correctly, but errors do happen and if we find an error (or are notified of one), we correct it and rebill the patient's insurance promptly. I would just add a caution that in the event you find an error, it may or may not result in reduced patient liability, especially if you the error is on an inpatient bill.
Most commercial insurers contract with hospitals on a per diem basis, meaning they pay a flat amount each day the patient is in the hospital, no matter what the charges are. If your insurance has contracted with the hospital for a $1,000 per diem, and you have an 80/20 plan, you will owe $200 co-insurance per day. Reducing the charges will not reduce the amount owed. Medicare pays differently -- they pay on a per-case basis -- but reducing the charges on a Medicare inpatient bill will not decrease the amount a patient owes.
Outpatient and ER bills are a different story, especially if you have a plan where a percentage of the cost is the responsibility of the patient. Most insurance companies cover these services under some kind of fee schedule, so the charge listed on the bill probably isn't what the insurance company will pay. But catching an error on an outpatient bill most likely WILL reduce the amount you would owe as a patient, so it's well worth the time to do.
My recent hospital bill was very much in line with what I remember receiving medicine-wise. Overall a better hospital even if they DID have a few really awful nurses.
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March 9, 2011 - Coccygectomy!
I chased my dreams, and my dreams, they caught me!
The auditor called me back today and said she has corrected the bill. It's now less than half what they originally were charging.
Kelly
Please note: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you want medical advice, talk to your doctor. Whatever I post, there is probably some surgeon or other health care provider somewhere that disagrees with me. If you want to know what your surgeon thinks, then ask him or her. Check out my blog.
