Medical Billing Errors: What can go wrong? What can you do? - 2 - The surgery stage
What can go wrong?
During the surgery, each staff member who enters a note on the chart must ensure the notations are mistake-free, complete and tell a story. Any missing or excessive detail on treatment provided can change the meaning of what was done and therefore affect the bill.
If a doctor's or nurse's notes do not convey the most correct and complete medical information, the insurance company may question whether the treatment was medically necessary. In addition, these notes
may indicate that a more serious procedure was performed, causing the charges to rise.
What can you do?
If possible, family members or friends should be present the day of surgery to verify insurance and personal information, meet any new doctors or surgeons, and ask questions about treatments delivered. It's wise to keep a record of everything that takes place so that the patient can the notes compare his or her bill.
Once the bill arrives, request line-item detail and ask questions about any unfamiliar items to ensure that you and the insurer are paying for services provided. Review each treatment, as well as the room charges and level of care, designated on the bill.
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