And not only do the hospitals milk patients legally, if my experience is any indication, they milk patients fraudulently as well. My wife had her appendix out, and I was with her the whole time (except in the operation room). I knew all the treatments she received. When the bill came, to be covered by insurance, I noticed many, many, items they included, which she didn't get. I went to the hospital to complain, and they casually corrected the bill. What this means is that they likely do this to ALL patients, but most would just let their insurance pay without question. What made me mad is when I called the insurance company to report this, they didn't care. It's all just a huge racket!
I will say a lot of the time it's because of sloppy documentation but that's no excuse! Also watch for doctors who have ZERO to do with a case visit a patient post OP. Like a podiatrist pops in to see how you're doing and how do your feet feel (feet, I had a LAP colonoscopy ) and that doc will drop a consult fee on the chart. Seriously it happens all the time and people just don't even question it! My father had a simple appendectomy and we found like 3 docs who were not affiliated with the case on his bill as consults that he never authorized to consult him! He complained and they removed the consult fees no questions asked! Hospital billing is horrible and people are getting way over charged all the time for materials that were never used specially meds!
Another common thing is for some doctor to just step inside an operating room, and then leave, and then a patient gets charged $500 or more as an "attending physician" for them. So many crooked things they do!
Yup! They do! If you're a GI doc you can walk into any room you want even if you're not the attending or consulting physician and say the patient had eye surgery which is totally unrelated to you being a GI doc and say "Hi Mr.Smith, I'm doctor Jones and was just seeing how you're doing this morning?" and say Oh I'm feeling good right now, "hows your stomach after surgery anything feel upset?" Nope! All good! "OK then Mr.Smith have a great day!" BOOM!!!! Consult fee of $55.00 dropped!
My son as a baby had surgery. The entire bill was wrong. They billed me for Baby Smith for GI doctor. My baby had a first name and did not have a GI issue. The hospital said..oh, those doctors just check up on surgery patients. Nope. Figured out the entire bill was for another child. They billed my insurance and then removed it. The next year I was reported for collections. Argued again. Bill removed. And then they did it again.
There was a company in Illinois call Medical Bill Auditors (MBA,inc) and as a small company drew a lot of “attention” in the media for correcting the $75.00 Tylenol pill charges and so forth. Back in the day the insured got 50% of the Savings up to $1000 +/-.. The Hospital Association put such pressure on this business that they ended up closing.
And not only do the hospitals milk patients legally, if my experience is any indication, they milk patients fraudulently as well. My wife had her appendix out, and I was with her the whole time (except in the operation room). I knew all the treatments she received. When the bill came, to be covered by insurance, I noticed many, many, items they included, which she didn't get. I went to the hospital to complain, and they casually corrected the bill. What this means is that they likely do this to ALL patients, but most would just let their insurance pay without question. What made me mad is when I called the insurance company to report this, they didn't care. It's all just a huge racket!
I will say a lot of the time it's because of sloppy documentation but that's no excuse! Also watch for doctors who have ZERO to do with a case visit a patient post OP. Like a podiatrist pops in to see how you're doing and how do your feet feel (feet, I had a LAP colonoscopy ) and that doc will drop a consult fee on the chart. Seriously it happens all the time and people just don't even question it! My father had a simple appendectomy and we found like 3 docs who were not affiliated with the case on his bill as consults that he never authorized to consult him! He complained and they removed the consult fees no questions asked! Hospital billing is horrible and people are getting way over charged all the time for materials that were never used specially meds!
Another common thing is for some doctor to just step inside an operating room, and then leave, and then a patient gets charged $500 or more as an "attending physician" for them. So many crooked things they do!
Yup! They do! If you're a GI doc you can walk into any room you want even if you're not the attending or consulting physician and say the patient had eye surgery which is totally unrelated to you being a GI doc and say "Hi Mr.Smith, I'm doctor Jones and was just seeing how you're doing this morning?" and say Oh I'm feeling good right now, "hows your stomach after surgery anything feel upset?" Nope! All good! "OK then Mr.Smith have a great day!" BOOM!!!! Consult fee of $55.00 dropped!
My son as a baby had surgery. The entire bill was wrong. They billed me for Baby Smith for GI doctor. My baby had a first name and did not have a GI issue. The hospital said..oh, those doctors just check up on surgery patients. Nope. Figured out the entire bill was for another child. They billed my insurance and then removed it. The next year I was reported for collections. Argued again. Bill removed. And then they did it again.
There was a company in Illinois call Medical Bill Auditors (MBA,inc) and as a small company drew a lot of “attention” in the media for correcting the $75.00 Tylenol pill charges and so forth. Back in the day the insured got 50% of the Savings up to $1000 +/-.. The Hospital Association put such pressure on this business that they ended up closing.