Tips to Help You Understand Your Medical Bill

Medical bills from medical billing companies in Houston are complicated documents with codes and confusing line items. It may be tempting to simply find the bottom line and pay what you owe. The problem is that mistakes in medical billing are common and may be costing you significant money in duplicate charges and other billing errors.

If you have had multiple visits or procedures, your statement could be pages long with a cross-section of charges and coverages. It is important to understand how to read your medical bills to make sure they do not contain costly mistakes and keep a check on the administration and charging of your medical expenses.

Things to Look for on Bills from Medical Billing Companies in Houston

Make Sure You Have the Correct Itemized Bill

Patients receive a lot of documents in the mail and notices via electronic communication. The first thing to determine is whether the mail you received is a bill to be paid and not a statement of activity or another type of summary.

The most basic action to take when you receive any bill is to make sure it is yours and is for visits and medical procedures you had done as part of your healthcare. Take advantage of the electronic version to more easily analyze the information on the statement.

You will also receive a statement from your insurance company notifying you what portion of the bill they will cover. You will need this to cross-reference the Houston medical billing statement to make sure they match.

Understand the Billing Codes

The most confusing part of medical bills for most patients is figuring out what the billing codes stand for. Five-digit codes are standardized throughout the industry, and these billing codes, sometimes listed as service codes, are what insurance companies use to verify coverage.

It can be a challenge to figure out what each code actually represents. Some are proprietary and hidden behind a paywall. A code searching tool can be found on The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website, though the pricing listed is for Medicaid and Medicare home health billing service providers.

Check for Double Billing

A high number of common medical billing mistakes discovered are the double billing of items on your statement. Among the ways items get double billed include:

• Multiple billings of a one-time procedure
• Individual billing of components of the same procedure
• Multiple providers billing for the same healthcare visit or medical procedure
• Billing more than one insurer for the same procedure or visit

Other Billings Issues

Time is Money

Part of the cost of medical procedure is the rental of the space. Make sure the “theater time’ listed on your bill matches the actual recorded amount of time a procedure or surgery took.

Math Matters

Add up each item on your own to make sure the total sum listed is correct.

Medications

Double-check the medications listed on your Houston healthcare billing statement. Medicine you purchased over-the-counter, and other medications you did not receive should not show up as charges.

Overcharges

Patients will often see items that seem to have been overcharged, like $50 for a band-aid or $112 for a single aspirin capsule. You can dispute these amounts with your medical facility or home health care billing provider, who can adjust charges.

Dominion Revenue Solutions

If you have any questions about how to read and interpret your medical billing statement, the industry experts at Dominion Revenue Solutions are the most reliable of the professional medical billing companies in Houston. Contact our knowledgeable representatives today for complete information.