Hospital bills can make you really ill

COURTESY PHOTO Hospital bills are complicated, and combing through them is time-consuming and overwhelming. Experts claim these are primary reasons why billing errors are so common. The intravenous dye cost the hospital $14. The patient’s bill for it? Try $600.

“That’s more than a 4,000 percent markup. I think about that bill a lot,” said Holly Lang of Georgia Watch, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

Then there are stories of $11 for a box of tissues — also known as a disposable mucus recovery system. Or $15 for thermal therapy. We call it an ice pack. Tylenol for $140. A charge of $30 for a thermometer or $52 for a commode.

According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, 80 percent of hospital and medical care bills have errors and overcharges on them. You’re likely to get stuck with a bill more painful than any needle.

“I would say that is the norm,” said Cindy Holtzman, director of operations for MBAA. “It’s horrible, or we wouldn’t be out here.”

More than 36 million Americans have medical debt, in many cases leading to bankruptcy. Making matters worse are common and outlandish billing errors that consumers can ill-afford. Hospital bills are complicated, and combing through them is time-consuming and overwhelming.

And if you aren’t careful, you could pay for a private room when you shared one. Or pay for six nights when you were there for four. One patient, admitted for a virus, was charged a fee from a radiologist, and many are hit with unnecessary laboratory fees.

“You’ve got the physician seeing you and someone else keying in the data,” said Ms. Holtzman, who is based in Woodstock, Ga. “The front office is preparing a bill. The doctors don’t even have a clue (about the billing).”

That’s where advocacy groups such as Georgia Watch, MBAA and the Alliance of Claims Assistance Professionals come in. Georgia Watch’s hospital accountability project started in 2007 and is a small organization compared with for-profit groups like MBAA and ACAP that generally charge a percentage of your total bill or a percentage of your savings. You could pay an hourly fee of $100 or more. Plus, there is no licensing associated with the advocacy business.

The groups are made up of healthcare professionals with backgrounds in insurance and medical billing. They can negotiate with your insurer to appeal coverage denials, work to get you lower fees and dispute charges on your bill.

“Sometimes this is so complicated, you want to throw up your hands,” said Dr. Margaret Lewin, medical director of Cinergy Health. “Don’t do that. There are professionals who can help you go through your bills.”

And you can help yourself.

Never leave the hospital without an itemized bill. After you’ve been discharged, it is harder to get.

• Know who is treating you, and for what. Ask a family member or friend to help.

• Never pay the bill immediately upon discharge.

• Don’t let the hospital shrug off a bill and tell you insurance will pay for it.

• Remember, you’re your own best advocate.

“I’m not saying be argumentative, but the consumer has a strong role,” Ms. Lang said. 