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How I Saved My Husband’s Life and Our Bank Account

3rd October, 2008 - Posted by admin - No Comments

How I Saved My Husband’s Life and Our Bank Account

My husband had sudden cardiac arrest a few months ago and luckily I performed CPR on him that inevitably saved his life. Fortunately, I have written many books about saving money in healthcare and this was no different. Many people get “lost in the emotion” while the bills pile up. I put my rules to practice once again, and proved that you can save, even in an emergency situation of a loved one.

1. Make sure you have a Power of Attorney: This is the designation of someone to act as the sole decision maker in your absence. In my husband’s case, he was unable to make any decisions while he was unconscious for three days and could not deal with the stress of bills during his recovery. By having a Power of Attorney, I was able to make medical decisions on behalf of my husband as well as get copies of our bills to review and question all mistakes in a timely matter…and there were plenty of mistakes! This is not automatic when you are married!!!! Be sure to keep a copy at your local hospitals, with your insurance company, as well as at your home and office. You may also opt to file an Advanced Directive which contains both a Power of Attorney for health care and a Living Will. You can get these form free online and have them notarized at you bank. Some health insurance companies have their own forms that you can simply sign and fax in.
2. Does the provider have the correct health insurance information: Have your card and a copy of your spouses card on you at all times. One slight mistake, even if it seems obvious, is cause for your insurance company to reject your claim. During our emergency, one of the providers switched my husband’s first name with his middle name. This caused some major reimbursement problems for us until I discovered that on some of the medical records being submitted to the insurance company, my husband’s middle name was being treated as his first. At another point, someone submitted his “membership number” incorrectly. By having a copy of the card I was able to point out the errors before the billing got out of control and provide the medical facilities with a copy for their records. It may seem obvious, but mistakes happen, especially in a rushed situation.
3. Ask for an itemized bill BEFORE you leave the hospital: You may not get it immediately, but you should get this before you get your bill summary when you will be on a deadline to pay. At that time you, can double check for mistakes on your bill. I found many mistakes including double charges that are not necessarily obvious on the billing summary.
4. Keep you own records: It is extremely difficult to keep track of anything when you are an emotional wreck, but this is where an itemized bill may jog your memory on procedures that were done, medications that were administered or were not. The first night we were in the hospital, a friend of mine brought me a journal to jot down my feelings as a form of “therapy” when I was alone during those hours of silence and could not sleep. I actually used this journal to write down questions I had for the nurses and cardiologists on my husband’s condition as well as keep track of dates and people that came to visit my husband. This came in very useful when we received our bill a few weeks later only to find we were charged for items and procedures never performed as well as a whole day before we actually checked into the hospital. (The bill stated procedures were performed on the 9^th when he did not have the arrest until the 10th)
5. Make friends with the right people: Many hospitals have patient advocates which are people you can turn to for most of your billing questions. Since most hospitals outsource lab work as well as different physician groups, it is very helpful to get to know this person. In our case, we were dealing with many billing agencies which became overwhelming. One of the patient advocates not only helped me locate the correct contacts at the billing departments, but assisted me in getting the correct insurance information to those billing departments that were submitting it incorrectly. In my husband’s case, he was brought to the Emergency Room of one hospital and transferred to one with a “more equip” cardiac care unit. The patient advocate from one hospital supplied me with the contact information for his equivalent at the other hospital.
6. Ask questions and ask for the supervisor: Three hours in the emergency room cost us over $11,000, and it looked as though the claim was submitted. When I called the billing department initially, I was told that my insurance did not cover that particular emergency room. Thinking I was going crazy, I double checked with my health insurance and they informed me that that particular emergency room may not have been covered, which was possible, but I chose my health insurance of the emergency rooms in my area being covered. At that point, I politely asked for the supervisor and she gave me the correct codes that the hospital should have submitted as well as explained that the hospital may have been delayed in their submission. Still unsatisfied, I called the manager of the billing department only to find the codes were incorrectly filed and they would resubmit the bill immediately. Again, I documented everything and have not had a problem since. Always ask for the person in charge if you are not satisfied with the answer. I found out the person I was dealing with at first was new to the job, thus I was given misinformation.
7. Ask for financial assistance: Even if your insurance covers most of your bill, a high deductible can be detrimental to your bank account. Don’t be afraid to ask for financial assistance. Write a letter immediately describing your financial need and ask your patient advocate who to submit it to. Some hospitals offer discount for paying bills in a timely matter, others may write it off. My husband has done so much volunteer work at one hospital that they wrote off their bill, the other offered a 20% discount for his volunteer work over the past 13 years and an additional 10% discount for paying the balance in full within 30 days!
8. Ask for everything in writing: Avoid any miscommunication by getting everything in writing. The hospital that wrote off the balance of my husband’s bill sent a balance a few weeks later. Luckily, I had the name of the person I spoke with, her contact information and a 0 balance on the itemized bill she sent me previously. When I contacted her about the bill, she said it was an accident and she would forward the 0 balance document she had sent me previously to the billing department and a copy to me.

My husband is currently alive with a second lease on life. The CPR I happened to performed was with compressions only, no breaths. Ironically, I was too busy screaming for help for over a documented 16 minutes and cracked three ribs in four places. This inevitably saved his life. Today, we are able to enjoy life without the stress of his medical bills.

http://www.healthcareforless.us, http://www.michellekatzmsn.com

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