Everyone is bound to need one form of medical assistance or another at one point in life. Medical care is a normal part of your life as a person, whether it s a routine visit to your doctor, a planned surgery, or even a cosmetic procedure.
But, no one wants to get surprised medical bills, especially when they are worth thousands of dollars. If there is an error in your bill, it is just normal to be upset. The good news is that there are actually ways for you to dispute the medical bill or save yourself from the need to pay something that you don’t owe in the first place.
The following are the steps you can take to dispute your medical bill:
Make Sure to Keep All the Detailed Notes
It is always important to keep detailed notes but all the more so if you need to dispute a medical bill. Keep a complete log of all emails, phone calls, letters, and visits you either make or receive yourself. Log the time and date, the sender or recipient, and the subject matter. Store this log together with other notes like bills and receipts in a separate folder or any accessible place that will make it easier for you to refer to it when the need arises.
Request for an Itemized Bill
Medical bills often only show the total amount you owe. In case you got a surprise bill, request the medical provider to give you an itemized bill that shows the breakdown of all the charges and what they are for. If you think you were charged twice for the procedure or something that you didn’t receive, having a copy of the itemize bill shows exactly what you are charged for.
Discuss It with Your Doctor
If you got some questions about the bill you received, you might want to discuss it with your medical provider or doctor sooner instead of later. You should contact your medical providers and doctor immediately once you receive the surprise medical bill.
Work with an Advocate
It is very easy to feel that you are alone when disputing a medical bill as if there is no one right there on your side to help you out. There are two types of advocates that can offer you assistance during the process of medical billing dispute – a medical billing advocate and a patient advocate.
Reach Out to Your Insurer
After you confirmed that your medical provider or doctor won’t send your bill to collections, you should get in touch with your insurer and go through your health insurance policy. Make sure you review what your individual policy covers and don’t cover to check if there were errors as far as insurance is concerned once you received your bill.
File an Insurance Appeal
If your coverage claim has been denied by your insurer, there are cases when you got the right to appeal. When this happens, you can request your medical provider or doctor to send a letter to your insurer on your behalf that explains the need for a medical procedure based on your situation. You got 180 days to send your appeal with the insurer after you received their notification of initial coverage denial.
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