Re: UGH! More surgical bills!

[Guest guest]

Hi Jayar,

That is exactly what you need to call the office on Monday and ask

them directly. Is it the surgeons office sending you the new bill?

Or is it the hospital sending this " new " owed amount to you?

SOmetimes the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

But if it is the surgeons office, I think your asking the same

question in the exact way you posted it here should clear it up. If

the costs were exactly what was estimated, and the insurance paid

more, then you should have a refund coming to you. If not, someone

made a mathamatical error somewhere along the way. Do you have your

original quote? If you do, check it over for math errors. If you

don't see any, I am sure it can be worked out.

I have never had a major procedure that was either out of network so

that the fees were less clear about what would and would not be

covered, or a private pay situation that involved more than one

provider (such as hospital and surgeon) that didn't end up in this

kind of nightmare. They usually always work out, which is the good

news, but it usually takes some legwork on your part to iron out the

details. It shouldn't work that way, that you have to have this kind

of hassle when you are in recovery, but this is a common problem.

Please let us know what you find out on Monday. In the meantime,

check your original quote, and then just have a good weekend. Let us

know what you find out. Good luck with this!

Hugs,

Fran

> I got a bill today from my surgeon. I prepaid for the surgery based

> on the estimate that they did a while back with all of the insurance

> particulars taken into account. So, I wrote a check for $5500,

which

> was the amount they estimated at the surgeon's office. All of the

> insurance payments are in, and they paid MORE than was estimated by

> $1000. So, now the bill that I received says that I owe an

additional

> $4600! Now, if I paid my estimated amount, the insurance pays MORE

> than their estimated amount, and the surgery costs exactly what the

> estimate said it would, how do I owe $4600 more? Anyone?

>

> -A very stressed Jayar

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Fran! I have the quote, and have done all of the math, and

I am correct in all of my assumptions... I even did an Excel sheet

to illustrate everything. I will call on Monday. The other issue

is that the doctor forgot to check something at one of my checkups

on a Monday a couple of weeks ago. He calls me in on Friday to come

back in to get an x-ray they forgot... charged me $81 for the Monday

visit, $81 for the Friday visit, and $99 for the xray. I say he

needs to credit me $81. I think I have a fight on my hands, but I

will be nice...

I'll let you know what happens...

> > I got a bill today from my surgeon. I prepaid for the surgery

based

> > on the estimate that they did a while back with all of the

insurance

> > particulars taken into account. So, I wrote a check for $5500,

> which

> > was the amount they estimated at the surgeon's office. All of

the

> > insurance payments are in, and they paid MORE than was estimated

by

> > $1000. So, now the bill that I received says that I owe an

> additional

> > $4600! Now, if I paid my estimated amount, the insurance pays

MORE

> > than their estimated amount, and the surgery costs exactly what

the

> > estimate said it would, how do I owe $4600 more? Anyone?

> >

> > -A very stressed Jayar

[Guest guest]

jayar...

i agree that crazy charges are irritating to say the least! i have to

say before the surgery, my surgeon wanted to pull a tooth. my ortho

didn't want to do it. she sent me to a periodontist for a " free "

consult. he said - you got to pull the tooth. so almost a month went

by - the tooth hadn't been pulled - and then i got a $300 bill in the

mail for the consult! i almost freaked out right there!!! but then i

called the periodontists office, and firmly but nicely said that i was

told the consult would be free. she said she would have to call

back...but when she did she said i was right ) point being - i

think there is very little communication in the office between dr. and

billing. that...and sometimes they're just trying to see how much

money you're willing to pay being nice but firm seems to work.

start off by giving them the benefit of the doubt that they have made

an honest mistake...and when that doesn't work go for the jugular!!

-becky

[Guest guest]

If the bill is actually from the surgeon, you need to be asking him, or

his bookkeeper, these questions. If there's an assistant surgeon

involved, you may owe more $$$ for that, but it shouldn't be that much

$$$, I'd think.

If it's from the hospital, the anesthesiologist, etc., you still need

to be asking these questions, but send them in those directions.

I don't understand it, either.

And I would not be quick to write another check. I would be quick to be

finding a copy of the ones I'd written.

Good luck to you.

Cammie

> I got a bill today from my surgeon. I prepaid for the surgery based

> on the estimate that they did a while back with all of the insurance

> particulars taken into account. So, I wrote a check for $5500, which

> was the amount they estimated at the surgeon's office. All of the

> insurance payments are in, and they paid MORE than was estimated by

> $1000. So, now the bill that I received says that I owe an

additional

> $4600! Now, if I paid my estimated amount, the insurance pays MORE

> than their estimated amount, and the surgery costs exactly what the

> estimate said it would, how do I owe $4600 more? Anyone?

>

> -A very stressed Jayar