I have called and reported doctor's offices before and it seems that they back up the doctor's office. So don't necessarily expect them to pat you on the back.

BUT I have also reported problems with the bills directly to the doctor's office and they have REFUNDED Medicare about 5 times so far. It pays to check your bill and make sure that they are not defrauding the government. If they credit the government, the government overlooks it and doesn't do anything about it. As long as they get their money back.

I say go for it and report them. i am tired of doctor offices doing this. I had two doctors do the same procedure and one charge 3 times what the other doctor charged. Medicare accepted both bills and paid more for the larger one. It is all a racket. But I won't be going back to the more expensive doctor because i don't think that she was any better.

I have a question. Did one doctor do the eval or did a nurse or someone else help? They may be doing something hinky. OR if they used multiple docs they are paying for 4 hours of doc's time, 4 hours of nurse's time and then 2 hours to cover the secretary and medical biller who codes and files with the insurance company.

I guess I would ask a few questions of the doc's office and if it still smelt fishy I would go to the insurance company.

i have had 3 neuro psych evals done by same PhD when hospitalized in same rehab hospital - 2008, 2010, and 2012. The test was approx 2.5 hours and then of course there is his time to tabulate and interpret and to compare with earlier results. There were.several sets of about 6 tests including drawing a complex figure after being shown it twice.

At minimum I would expect a 6 hr bill. Twice he spent 15 min going over results with me. This time he did not.

I think the manner of testing varies. I found this testing very challenging and of a fairly high quality, intensive level. As such his charges seem reasonable.

Due to the fatigue factor I can't imagine any neuro psych test done at one time, over 3 hours. You can't expect valid data.

Like Ezone, I scrutinize my bills from Medicare. I just had a 20-30 min shoulder MRI with 2 views. The cost--over $3500. Medicare will be getting a call.

Melanie

I did insurance billing for yrs. I recommend you def looking into it. It could also mean that they approved 8 hrs as in a total over several days.
However I seen it go the other way as well. Insurance companies and doctors (mainly ER) bank on you the customer not checking your EOB's or statements.

Good looking out! Please update us I am interested in what they have to say.

Christysms

I had surgery a few years back. Requested an itemized bill of the charges. Found several thousand dollars of the 88k bill that wasn't for stuff I received, After having to set up a time to meet someone in person (not over the phone) they agreed to refund the money to my insurance company. Nothing to me to go toward my co-pay. What kind of incentive is this to the patient to be a watchdog?

Somehow, the laws in my state are set up to where if a hospital sends a bill to the insurance company, they have to pay it. I get a notice from the insurance company on my part but unless I request an itemized bill, haven't a clue except for the big picture (say for an MRI) what the bill is for. There is no incentive for me to get involved.


These billing issues have really become a pet peeve of mine the last few years, especially with hospitals and hospital owned doctors offices. The major medical centers around where i live are non-profit (at least as far as the IRS is concerned). It isn't like it was 40-50 years ago when a significant portion of patients couldn't pay. Even the working poor without insurance are now set up on payment plans to these hospitals. Don't even think about not paying. They have very agressive collection agencies. Now with Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance that portion that can't pay is minuscule when compared with those that can. BIG MEDICINE is right up there with BIG OIL and BIG BANKING only big medicine doesn't have to pay taxes. Not even property taxes on their Real Estate. They are buying up independent doctors offices right and left, making them employees in the big system while the bureaucrats in management get the big bucks for having meetings all day long to generate paper measured in feet not pages. An independent doctor who tries to have his own office has to pay property taxes and can't compete on this uneven field. A local hospital even bought a hotel, put it under their non-profit wing. Said they needed a place for out of town family members to stay. Charges are the same as other hotels and anyone can stay there but the city and county can't charge property taxes. All us common folks have to pay for their police, fire and garbage collection since they are no non-profit through increases in our property tax.

I was reading EasyM's reply. I am reading how frustrated he is and things are only going to get worse ...if we do nothing.

So I am going to post something as a response. I am doing so because this is affecting my hubby and those that take MS meds and have to deal with this bureaucratic mess. I am SICK of Rebif, Avonex and Betainterferon meds all teaming up and increasing their already profitable $15,000 (approx) medications 8 years ago. Now together all 3 raised their prices to $44,000 (approx. annual cost).

Something has to be done to start turning this corrupt system around. I know everyone is putting their hopes in Obama care but insurance can't afford in the long term paying these prices. Maybe for now they can but the numbers do NOT support the viability of this 10 years from now.

So... I am going to post something here and hope you don't get mad at me. I want my husband to always get his meds and until we get better legislators, in both parties, elected that is not going to happen.

==================
Currently, Congress has made separate rules for themselves. This would include but is not limited to creating pensions for their spouses and themselves instead of living on social security. They engage in insider trading legally while the rest of us cannot and now we have a healthcare system that even the president does not have to live under. They are not part of the broken system they are making. So they have no incentive to fix the problems. Do you agree with this? Or do you agree we need a new amendment that makes them live under the laws they create and responsible for the earmarks they introduce? If you agree with the later then read the below proposal and mail this idea to one of the below places so we can work toward something better

"Equity and Accountability in Congress" Amendment Proposal.

"Congress shall live under the laws it creates for the people it serves. As such any tax, levy, HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, retirement fund such as social security and laws that govern the people will also govern our law makers. This would include but is not limited to the President, Vice President and Congress. As such all newly elected officials going forward, shall not receive a pension for themselves or families unless it is also done for the public. They may only receive a severance package worth no more than two years of service. They may not set themselves up with separate healthcare and may not disobey the laws that govern the public such as engage in insider trading. Nor may they create special funds for themselves or families including college funds for their children that are not paid back to the public funds from whence they came. As part of the accountability for their actions they will have to add their names to any earmarks they create for as long as such devices are used to make laws. Thus making the members of congress that create the laws responsible for their actions."

1.) You can copy and paste this idea to your congressmen at URL http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
2.) You can copy and paste this idea to AARP, local union or large organization to make your opinion heard in a louder voice. http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/contact-us/
3.) Forward to your friends

----------- So what do you think of this idea??

I was just reading on this it said 2-3 hours. I'm not getting why a psych evaluation is necessary. Is there something the doctors can do to help our memories and etc.....? I guess my doctor has never mentioned this, although, she only does testing that is necessary. I am very lucky she doesn't push testing.

I was wondering if a doctor requests a test does everyone just do it? I don't. If there is a test that is not going to help me what's the reason then? Maybe I shouldn't do this but a doctor never asks me why I didn't have it done. So why is that?

It's A NEUROpsych test done to check how brain is processing tasks and motor skills. For me it was a good idea to get baseline done especially if problems are happening later.

Like your ideas EPagain. Has every one heard about the Medicare/Medicaid Combo happening? Starting in MA first. A kind of case coordination - participation is voluntary. Don't know much about it-yet
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Melanie

I totally agree with EasyM regarding his questioning his hospital bill. I too questioned my hospital bill. I saw something on there that I definitely didn't get but there was a lot of things on there that I didn't know if I had gotten or not so I couldn't question. BUT I asked them to audit the bill and there was a credit of several thousand dollars. None of it changed my portion but it made the hospital think twice about over billing.

I also agree that the small independent offices are being bought out by the big hospitals/universities etc. It is really a shame.

I have advocated for the price of a procedure being given to the patient. I had to call the office of an clinic numerous times to get the price of a procedure. I canceled the procedure because they would not give me the price. I found out finally after many calls that the procedure was $4800. It was not that big a deal and so I didn't bother to get it. What a racket the medical clinics are. They schedule tests and procedures just to get more information but it doesn't really give me that much information. I already know that I have a spastic bladder. I don't need a $4800 test to verify it.