Important Facts to Know about Global Billing and Health Insurance
Filed under: Health Insurance
If you have experienced a stay in the hospital before, then you’ve probably gone through the confusing experience of dealing with the billing. A visit to the doctor’s office and a visit to a hospital facility are handled in different ways for billing, often causing frustration for patients. Luckily, global billing has been created to help simplify the process.
What is Global Billing?
The goal with global billing is to provide a single bill for the hospital services that were received. During the hospital stay, there are different bills that are sent through because the doctors and hospital charge separately for their services.
Global billing is a system that consolidates all of these charges onto a single bill so that you don’t have to juggle multiple bills for the doctor, hospital, technicians, equipment charges, and more. This system is beneficial for both the patients and the doctors. For example, doctors benefit because it reduces the likelihood that their bill will get lost in the shuffle of paperwork.
Avoid Being Overcharged with Global Billing
Even though there are many advantages to global billing, you need to be careful to make sure that you aren’t overcharged for the medical services. Some patients look at the long list of charges and pay the bill without double checking the costs.
Keep detailed records of visits to the doctor and treatments that were administered in the hospital. These records will make it easier to verify each charge that comes through on the bill.
The best strategy is to go through the bill and look at each line item. Make sure that you can identify the purpose of each charge. Don’t hesitate to talk with the billing department if you see something that you don’t understand. Mistakes are occasionally made, and these errors can be removed from the bill on a case-by-case basis.
Also, be sure that you are working closely with your health insurance agent. You will need to pay deductibles and co-pays out-of-pocket, but the right insurance plan will cover a good portion of the bill. Maximizing your insurance benefits will help to reduce the amount of money that you need to pay.
Do you need help finding the right health insurance plan for your family? Contact JPN Insurance Services at (951) 443-9925
