MEDICAL BILLS
MANAGE COSTS
Financial Tools
In the Hospital
En Español | It is important to be vigilant when admitted in the hospital. We go there to be treated and cured, but often forget that hospitals are businesses that need to be rentable in order to exist, for which they try to seek as much profit as they can from their encounter with their patients.
The following are the most frequent scenarios that patients end up disputing for.
Private Rooms: Patients might be assigned a private room even if they did not requested it. If you don’t want to be charge for a “private room supplement” clarify that you did not requested a private room and don’t mind to share one.
Admitting Documents: When admitted in the hospital you will need to sign the admitting documents where you provide consent for treatment, and full financial responsibility. Instead of admitting full financial responsibility, limit it by stating that “consent is limited to in-network care only and excludes out-of-network care”. You don’t mind paying co-insurance and deductibles, but not the out-of-network charges if you went to an in-network hospital.
Observation Status: Understand what are the terms of your stay in the hospital, are you being admitted or held under “observation status”? If there is no clear answer insist in going to be admitted as an inpatient. This is specially important for Medicare patients as their coverage depends on their status. More information can be found here.
Services Provided: Everything done at the hospital will be charged at an exorbitant price. Ask everyone that stands at your bed who are they and if their service is really necessary, you can always refuse and say just no.
Medical Equipment: If the hospital tries to send you home with medical equipment, you might be charged for it at a much higher cost that if you would have bought it at the pharmacy.
While being admitted at the hospital, take as many notes as possible about all medications and procedures received, as to compare them later when you receive the bill, mistakes happen, just you can make sure that the services received are the same as those you are being charged for.