The People Organization and Medical Billing Advocates say some of the most common errors include a wrong Social Security number or middle initial, which can cause an insurer to refuse to pay a claim. Other commonly found errors include duplicate billing, charges for supplies and services never received, and inaccurate rate charges, such as for rooms.
    "It's important that people remember that human error can be a factor in the billing process," said Fran Parker, chief operating officer with Health Alliance Plan, a Detroit-based managed-care company. "A finger can slip and hit the wrong letter or number. But insurance companies have made great strides to improve technology and the billing process in an effort to make sure errors don't continue to happen."
    In addition, "hospitals are trying to do right most of the time," said Celena Culbert, a Michigan medical billing advocate and registered nurse.
    But mistakes do occur, said Rick Robertson, chief executive of the People Organization.
    Many times the victims are senior citizens who do not look closely at their bills. "They get a bill in the mail for about $80 and say, 'Well, let me go on and pay it,' " Robertson said.

Salt Lake Tribune

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Answers

DETROIT -- Linda Martin is a skeptical health care consumer who has a knack for keeping meticulous records chronicling her struggles with medical billing errors.
    Perhaps it was the time the Flint, Mich., resident received a $6,000 bill for a surgery she never had that forced her to pay closer attention to bills. Or maybe it was after she reviewed a bill for her husband's outpatient surgery and discovered a $300 charge for prescription drugs she claims her husband never received.
    Martin, in her 60s, has had fierce battles with hospitals to correct costly errors. This has forced her to spend several hours on the phone pleading with bill collectors and mailing certified letters contesting incorrect charges.
    Martin is among a growing number of people finding errors in their medical bills. Some people seek help through organizations such as the People Organization, a Detroit-based, nonprofit volunteer group that helps resolve patients' billing disputes, and Medical Billing Advocates of America, a group founded by Pat Palmer, one of the authors of The Medical Bill Survival Guide: What You Need to Know Before You Pay a Dime, (Warner Books, $6.99).

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001