Fifty-five year old Charlie was sitting at his desk one afternoon when he began to experience shortness of breath and pain in his left arm, classic signs of a cardiac emergency. He called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he was promptly sent to the cardiac catheterization lab for evaluation and...Read More

If you have medical insurance, you’ve probably received a paper titled “Explanation of Benefits” or EOB. Typically, just below the title, it reads, “This is not a bill.” That said, there are dollar figures all over it. So if this is not a bill, what exactly is it? The EOB is exactly what it says...Read More

Medical bill errors, including those on hospital bills, can quickly become a nightmare for you, the patient, if you don’t keep on top of them. The longer an error goes uncorrected, the less likely it is that you will be able to successfully fix it. Hospitals, physicians, and other providers are likely to send your...Read More

Certain patterns seem to emerge again and again. During a recent phone call with a new client, I began to feel like I should produce and automated recording since my initial conversation with consumers regarding the medical bill woes so often sound the same. As a result, here’s my list of the top five mistakes...Read More

Have you ever walked into your aging parent’s home and seen a stack of Medicare papers on the kitchen table? Has the thought crossed your mind that maybe you should have these papers come directly to you since they seem so confusing to your Mom? Is your Dad asking you which Part D drug plan...Read More

Today was a very interesting session at the Medical Billing Adovcates of America’s (www.billingadvocates.com) annual workshop. We spent the day hearing interesting speakers from the Florida Attorney General’s office talk about fraud and abuse as it applies to medical billing. We also spent time with an attorney who specializes in helping patients fight with their...Read More

I have the distinct pleasure of attending the Medical Billing Advocate of America’s (www.billadvocates.com) annual workshop this weekend in beautiful Boca Raton, Florida. Over the next few days I plan to entertain you with war stories I hear from other advocates. I understand there will be about thirty of us here for the workshop, so...Read More

There was a terrific article over the weekend by Carla K. Johnson of the Associated Press regarding the lack of price transparency in health care. As Ms. Johnson writes, “Finding out how much a medical procedure costs is more difficult and mysterious than buying a new car. With a new car, there’s a sticker price....Read More

Terminology and complexity are the rules of today’s healthcare system. Most consumers are not even aware that there may be hidden problems with their bills. When you are busy or not feeling well, you often don’t have the time to do the necessary work to get corrections made. You might not even realize that you...Read More