Metropolitan Atlanta Hospital Accountability Project

• Always ask for a detailed bill that has each charge itemized so you are able to double check for errors. Common errors include: Charges for medications that were not administered and charges for a private room when you shared your room.

• Know your rights as a health care consumer. Hospitals and other health care providers are obligated to give you clear and transparent financial information about your bill and any health care procedures.

• Ask questions. It’s your right to ask your doctor why he is ordering a certain medical test and for your doctor to explain why this is medically appropriate. If you do not have insurance, this is especially important so that you avoid unnecessary tests that will drive up your bill.

• If you are uninsured or have high deductibles, inquire about charges before seeing your doctor or a specialist.

• If you are insured, read each page of your insurance policy carefully. If you don’t understand a portion of your policy, call the insurer’s help line for clarification. Understanding what coverage you have could help you avoid costly bills.

In an article published April 19, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Andy Miller examined the growing trend of hospitals to use credit reports to gauge which self-pay patients can afford their hospital visits, and which cannot.

From the article:

• Equifax executive Arvind Krishnaswami claims hospitals collect an average of 10 cents on a dollar, writing the rest of the amount off as bad debt;
• Because of that, Krishnaswami formed Roswell, GA-based Medlytix in 2006;
• These services are used to identify patients who qualify for charity or free care, those eligible for discounts and those who should pay the whole bill;
• But many criticize the use of credit scores to analyze patients’ finances at hospitals, who have a “reputation as aggressive bill collectors while their tax-exempt status gets heightened scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators.”

Read the article here.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Ask most Americans how much it costs to visit a doctor and they probably do not know. Ask doctors what their fees are and they’re not likely to know that either. Read the rest of this entry →

What is the Indigent Care Trust Fund? The Indigent Care Trust Fund (ICTF) is a state-sponsored program that subsidizes care for low-income individuals at participating hospitals. This subsidized care is available on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, regardless of whether there is an emergency. It can either cover an entire bill or just a portion, depending on income. The hospital must treat these patients the same as any other patient. The hospitals receive a certain amount of money each year to provide this care. Read the rest of this entry →