For this article we look at another problem. And unlike the first problem this may be built into the system. One could argue it was intentionally built into the system.
Whether it is or not, it still causes me great anguish. Bedside care givers, be they phlebotomist, dietitians, x-ray techs or nurses all try hard to provide quality care. But it seems to me that once the patient is discharged the billing and coding department have little regard for patient's well being.
That is a pretty bold statement, but let me explain. I have auditing quite a few hospital and medical bills and frankly I am surprised at the blatant excesses.
As we explore bills in the coming weeks, I will show you how the bills are worded and set up. It is not with ease of understanding upper most.
Here is a quote that aired on the CBS News 60 Minutes program. It comes from Carmela Coyle of the American Hospital Association. "Actually, what hospitals charge for a service is the same for everybody, whether they have insurance or not. What's confusing for everybody is that what a person ends up paying in this country can be very different."
So to put it another way, a portable chest x-ray costs the same for everybody in the country. But we might pay different amounts?
Difficult to understand isn't it. And more difficult to be involved as with a hospital bill. That is what I mean by being inherent in the system.
Here is how it works in a nutshell. A hospital has a "charge master" that is a giant list of prices for all services and supplies provided by the hospital. So when a patient is billed for a service the charge master is consulted. However, you as a patient may receive a discount on the full Charge Master price as listed.
When was the last time you were able to compare prices for hospital costs? Can you call ahead for a realistic cost for an appendectomy? It would be very difficult to do so. That is why Dr. Gerald Anderson of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says hospitals have no reason to control prices. Hopefully that will change in the future.
I would call Dr. Anderson an expert on this. He helped the government draft the rules Medicare uses to reimburse hospitals for services. So his assessment is valuable, and asked why hospitals can do this Dr. Anderson said in part "... essentially, they can get away with it."
I know it is confusing and I know it may not affect you right now. But trust me, one day soon you will be faced with a daunting hospital bill which includes overcharges and errors. It happened to Richard Clarke. And because it did he began the Patient Friendly Billing project.
Next time we will look at how Richard Clarke has helped all of us with confusing hospital bills.
Author Resource:-
We are in the business of auditing hospital and medical bills for errors and overcharges. Let Southwest Medical Bill Review help you reduce your medical bill.
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