Hospital bills: how to reduce those bills

Hospital stays can be extremely expensive. It would seem that all the consumer could do would be to just endure the cost. There are, however, some strategies to make the cost of a hospital stay as expensive as possible.

(1) Consult the physician about the necessity for having the procedure done in a hospital. Also, could it be done in his office or on an outpatient basis? How long will the hospital stay be? Can it be shortened?

(2) If the care needed is the non-emergency type, compare prices at various hospitals. Hospital room rates can vary significantly. Also inquire about the availability of a non-private room, which would cost considerably less daily.
(3) Find out what fees the doctor will be charging in addition to those for the medical procedure. Some physicians routinely add charges for admission and release.

(4) Never check into a hospital on a weekend or a holiday. Major medical procedures will probably not be performed until the next business day but you will still be charged for a room for the days that could have been spent at home.

(5) If there are no diet restrictions, consider bringing food from home and bypass the charge for hospital meals.
(6) When entering a hospital for childbirth, find out how soon you may be released. Some hospitals release mothers after as little as 24 hours. Also, find out if hospital policy allows the baby to "room in" (stay in the same room) with the mother, cutting hospital nursery fees. Avoid Caesarian-Sections, if possible. They are risky, expensive and not always necessary. Consult your physician about this. If no complications are foreseen, consider using a nurse-practitioner or midwife for birthing at home or at a birthing facility.

(7) If terminally ill, make sure that a living will has been filed with hospital personnel so that they will know the limits you wish them to use in your treatment.

(8) Ask your physician if it is possible to furnish your own medication, whether it be a prescription or just aspirin. You may be able to get in-hospital medication free or at a reduced cost through your insurance. At any rate, the cost will be cheaper than if purchased through the hospital. Hospital costs for medications are notoriously high.

(9) Know all doctors who will be treating you and refuse treatment if a doctor enters your room that you are not familiar with until you are sure that he should be treating you.

(10) Refuse routine tests that the hospital might require before admission if they do not relate to your condition or surgery. Hospitals routinely perform a series of routine tests which may considerably raise the bill but are not necessary for diagnosis or treatment.

(11) Ask the hospital for a daily breakdown of charges. They may be reluctant but are perfectly capable of doing so.

(12) After receiving the bill, make sure that there are clear amounts and details showing:

---kind of room charges (private, semi-private?)

---number of days charged (if leaving before checkout time is an extra day billed?)

---all tests and procedures received

---medical equipment used (charges for equipment that was not taken home?)

---charges for blood (any blood donations made to offset cost?)

---doctors visits (number of visits daily for each doctor)

---for mothers, any bills for extra nursery care if child not kept in room

---extra treatment by any specialized personnel-therapists, etc.