Incorrect charges: Just like in a restaurant, you may be billed for something that you did not order. The provider might have billed you for the same thing twice or maybe you were billed too much for a specific item. You will have to review a detailed billing statement (ask your medical provider for a copy) to see the individual items and have an expert biller audit the bill for potential erroneous charges. Here are some common examples of incorrect charges to give you a basic understanding of what you should look for: | 1 | Duplicate billing: Sometimes your provider may charge you for the same service, supplies or medications multiple times. | | | | | 2 | Number of days in hospital: You need to check your admission and discharge dates. Typically, most hospitals will charge for the admission day, but not for the day of discharge. | | | | | 3 | Incorrect room charges: Like a hotel, different types of hospital rooms are charged at different rates. Make sure you are being charged the right amount for the room you stayed in and for the correct number of rooms. | | | | | 4 | Operating-room time: Sometimes hospitals bill for more time in an operating room than was actually used. A useful method is to compare the charge with the bill or records of your anesthesiologist, who usually keeps his/her own bills, to see if the operating-room times differ. | | | | | 5 | Up coding: Hospitals often shift the charge for a lower-cost service or medication to one that's more costly. Although this should be illegal or at least frowned upon in the industry, it does occur from time to time. |
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