Expert Insight
insurance company was billed for, not the
explanation of benefits form. Some things
to consider:
• If someone goes to the hospital at night
and isn’t admitted until after midnight,
check that room charges start on the
correct day.
• Routine items should be included as part
of the facility fee.
• Check for double billing errors. Patients
should be charged once for one doctor’s
reading of a scan.
Steps in the
right direction
How to decipher hospital billing to better
control health care costs
A
s the health care system becomes
more transparent, it’s important
for consumers to take ownership
of their health care costs. And
one way to start that shift is for them to
closely scrutinize hospital bills.
The current system is confusing and
unclear, so patients don’t take the time to
try to figure out health care billing, says
Mark Haegele, regional vice president
of sales at HealthLink. However, with
more consumerism and transparency,
understanding health care billing is
becoming a legitimate goal.
“I even tried, and I’m in the business,”
Haegele says. “I had surgery, so I tried to be a
good consumer. In advance, I called and asked,
‘What’s the cost of this? Not your charge, but
what’s the post-discount after my company
10 •The Link
takes their discount? What’s the cost?’ Nobody
could tell me, and I knew to ask.”
Here are some steps to encourage health
plan members to review their hospital billing
and reduce costs.
What can employers share
with their health plan
members regarding hospital
billing?
Hospital billing can be confusing and costly.
As many as eight out of 10 bills for health
care services contain errors, according to
Medical Billing Advocates of America.
Encourage members to take ownership
and be proactive for l