You’ve had a medical procedure. Then it happens… the bills come. A seemingly endless parade filling up your mailbox. Why does this happen?
Glad you asked.
When it comes to having a medical procedure, like joint replacement, many entities work together to provide the service. There’s your surgeon. The hospital/facility. The anesthesiologist. Physical Therapy. All these work together to provide your care, but each may be their own entity.
Another way to think of this might be to compare it to a sporting event. Usually, you have to pay an entry fee to be in the facility in the form of the event ticket. Then, you might have to purchase food, drinks, souvenirs, and so forth separately. It’s the same idea with how medical procedures are billed. Each individual entity will bill for their own part in the procedure.
As you receive the various bills for your procedure, you may want to compare the bills with the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) that you’ll receive from your insurance provider. Make sure that the dates and procedures are correct and match between all documents. You’ll also want to ensure that the patient responsibility amount on the EOB matches the amount you are being billed by the provider. If you have questions or find a discrepancy, don’t hesitate to contact your insurance company or medical provider.
A great resource online for more information on EOBs, medical bills, and insurance is the Patient Advocate Foundation at www.patientadvocate.org/download-view/paying-attention-to-medical-documents-can-save-you-money/.
Zimmer Biomet is a manufacturing company and does not provide advice on billing and insurance. All questions regarding your medical bills must be directed to your provider and insurance company.