by Doris Goodbody
I have worked in a lot of different care areas. I have worked on the floor units and in the emergency room and in the intensive care units. For the most part the patients I have cared for were very grateful.
When they are lying in the hospital bed, costs and the bill aren’t upper most in their minds. More than once family members have told me to do everything you can for their loved one, not even considering the cost.
But the surprise comes later, maybe weeks later when the hospital bill arrives. Most I am sure are extremely grateful for the treatment they received. But they are also perplexed, how could a three day stay in the hospital could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
No doubt you have heard stories about out of control costs and bills being sent to collections, they are easy to find online. And I can imagine the anxiety and sleepless nights some must feel, not being able to pay there debts.
Nurses have a long tradition of patient advocacy so in this and other articles we will examine some actual hospital bills. Some of these bills will have errors while others will have overcharges of 400% or more.
There are excellent resources on the internet including 10 Ways to Avoid Outrageous Hospital Overcharges. But there is also information and examples from the bills I have audited.
Do the errors and overcharges found in some hospital bills represent fraud? That is what we will find out and explore.
About the Author:
Don’t let hospital bills cause you sleepless nights. Nearly every bill has overcharges, stop those overcharges now. Let Southwest Medical Bill Review & Recovery find those overcharges, stop those overcharges now on your medical bill.
