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 Credit and Debt Problems with Medical Issues The second part of your "battle" will be with the person charging you the bill. Let's assume it is the hospital. There are several preliminary steps you can take before considering any type of lawsuit, in the event that you dispute the validity of the bill. First, you may have been under anesthesia so it is difficult to argue that you agreed to each procedure performed on your behalf. However, many hospitals and doctors have Review Boards so that bills can be reviewed for the reasonableness. Many hospitals will charge according to the Medicare-approved guidelines for all aspects of the hospital stay. Certainly, you should request, in writing, documentation in the form of notes and other writings that indicate that you received the services which you are questioning. Sometimes the hospital simply made a mistake and your writing will clarify the problem. Once you have received documentation indicating that the services were rendered, you can use the Review Board process, if your hospital has this available. You can call the hospital and inform them of your decision to use this Review Board to contest the charges. You should request that they send you the procedural rules and information on the Review process, before you make a presentation to them. Then you should, in writing, request that the hospital document the reasons for the charges and the need for the services. Click here to see a Sample Letter in Response to Collection Letter. This answer from the hospital can, in many cases, be the guide to preparing your dispute. For example, if your hospital says the procedure in dispute was critical, you can conduct other research, by reading medical journals or books, or by talking to other doctors who may agree with you that the procedure was not necessary. Getting these opinions in writing might be extremely convincing to the hospital charging you the bills in question. Making this presentation to the Review Board might result in a reduction or waiver of the charges. Naturally, despite your documentation, the hospital may still disagree with you. As the section on credit suggests, remember that, in your dispute, you must still analyze the impact of not paying your bill. While it may be a problem to pay the bill, you must remember the impact, and the potential problems you may face by not paying the bill. If you are obligated, regardless of whether it is disputed, a hospital with which you have the disagreement could still place your account with a collection agency. Regardless of what your decision to pay or not is, it is helpful to know some of the potential consequences. Sometimes it is recommended that you pay the charges, along with a letter documenting your disagreement with the charges and the reasons that you are paying, e.g., that the hospital has threatened to report you to a collection agency. You should state that it is your intention to recover these costs, and in some states, if legal, to recover the costs of your having to sue also. The section on Small Claims Court details the steps to follow in determining whether to sue and if so, how to sue.
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