Medical billing - seriously?

[Gogar]

Ok so I admittedly am very new to this.

I went to the dermatologist to get a mole removed from just above my ear, in my hairline.

It wasn't a mole, it was a "something or other, no big deal. Very common." 15 minute visit.

They ran my high deductible UHC card and admitted it would probably not cover much.

No problem. I have a HSA with plenty of dough ready to go.


So far here is what has trickled in.

$165.92 - New Patient Visit.
$90 - Cauterize and remove the thingy.
$178 - Pathologist examine the thingy.

Total so far = $453.92.

Is this in the zone? Thanks. I just can't believe it but again I don't have much experience at the doctor.

[JavaBrewer]

Early this year I went to my dermatologist to remove a lesion (age spot) on my face. She gave me 15 minute skin check and broke out a bottle of liquid nitrogen to freeze the spot (size of pinky nail). I paid $100 for the lesion removal before leaving. Later billed for another $235 for the visit and inspection.

[Rikao4]

not a bad price..
'moles' are a bit pricier depending on size, local anesthesia. & stitches..
skin tags ..which I assume you had removed are easy & cheap..

Rika

[Gogar]

Not a skin tag but something similar, I guess. she said it was vascular and that's why they had to cauterize it.

Thanks

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Sadly, that is the most reasonable medical visit bill I have seen in some time.
R

[McLovin]

That's nothing.

I had a 2 hour surgical procedure done, and ONE of the bills was $200,000.

There were about 15 other bills, too, some in the hundreds and some in the thousands.

[Gogar]

thanks for nothing you old coots

[Crowbob]

So this is news?

I look around whenever I venture out of my foxhole and see nothing but brand new surgical centers popping up all over the place.

Massive hospital expansions, too.

I went for a follow-up visit to the ophthalmologist recently. I still have no idea why the visit was scheduled. I have even less of an idea why I went. Right when i was about to leave the physician said lets schedule you for nine months to check the progress.

I thought I was at the chiropractor. The only thing I could think of was that the doctor needed somebody to make his boat payment.

[legion]

Last year, I had an outpatient procedure over lunch to remove a cyst in my abdomen. The procedure was seriously 20 minutes from my vehicle to the OR and back to my vehicle. Billed in over $1,500.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Gogar

thanks for nothing you old coots

There's an AARP thread waiting for ya

I tried decyphering a dermatoligist's bill some years ago....no chance .

Every zap with liquid nitrogen is a "procedure"... 15 minutes....$1500.

[legion]

Originally Posted by KC911

I tried decyphering a dermatoligist's bill some years ago....no chance

They send you a "billing summary", which is intentionally opaque. You need to get a hold of the real bill they send the insurance company (CMS 1500, HCFA, UB, etc.) that contains the procedure codes and diagnosis codes.

Another problem is when you call the insurance company, you are looking at a summary, they are looking at the "real" bill, and no one knows which line items on the real bill at up to which items on the summary.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Ok so I admittedly am very new to this.

I went to the dermatologist to get a mole removed from just above my ear, in my hairline.

It wasn't a mole, it was a "something or other, no big deal. Very common." 15 minute visit.

They ran my high deductible UHC card and admitted it would probably not cover much.

No problem. I have a HSA with plenty of dough ready to go.


So far here is what has trickled in.

$165.92 - New Patient Visit.
$90 - Cauterize and remove the thingy.
$178 - Pathologist examine the thingy.

Total so far = $453.92.

Is this in the zone? Thanks. I just can't believe it but again I don't have much experience at the doctor.

"If you think health care is expensive now, just wait until it's free." - P.J. O'Rourke

[motion]

I get those things nuked from my body frequently. I pay cash for each 30 minute visit, where my doc freezes 3-5 of them. $125 And this is in OC coastal.

[wdfifteen]

I don't know if it's reasonable but it seems in line with bills I receive.

[John Rogers]

Medical billing and the charges have gotten worse and worse over time. I had 3 database class students 3 or 4 years ago and they were all working for a company that passes medical billing from the doctor/hospital to them and then if all is well then onto the insurance companies. Two of them had about 15 years in various parts of the company and one was a newbie of only 4 years. We spent the whole series (3) of classes going through their Oracle code and database design. They said things got worse close to 2000 and had slowly creeping complications and then Obama Care hit and things went to hell! There were new codes for the same thing, an item would have multiple codes depending on age or gender or ???????. Their design division missed some significant items and they were nearly put out of business! They had been approving paperwork and forwarding on to insurance companies but they would find fault but never say anything.......just not pay!

I would imagine if O care goes away it will get worse, glad I am old!

[Nickshu]

Sounds typical to me too at our dermatologist. Northern Colorado so probably pricing similar to Denver.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

fwiw- my insurance premium just went up $3000 a year. I had one yearly checkup. Good bp 136/70. 150 lb. 5"10. good health. No visits (other than yearly checkup). I also manage my own fractures off site using pink floyd with no added cost to insurer.

[legion]

Originally Posted by John Rogers

Medical billing and the charges have gotten worse and worse over time. I had 3 database class students 3 or 4 years ago and they were all working for a company that passes medical billing from the doctor/hospital to them and then if all is well then onto the insurance companies. Two of them had about 15 years in various parts of the company and one was a newbie of only 4 years. We spent the whole series (3) of classes going through their Oracle code and database design. They said things got worse close to 2000 and had slowly creeping complications and then Obama Care hit and things went to hell! There were new codes for the same thing, an item would have multiple codes depending on age or gender or ???????. Their design division missed some significant items and they were nearly put out of business! They had been approving paperwork and forwarding on to insurance companies but they would find fault but never say anything.......just not pay!

I would imagine if O care goes away it will get worse, glad I am old!

I don't know if they are speaking of procedure codes or diagnosis codes, but I suspect it is diagnosis codes. Obamacare moved us from International Classification of Disease, version 9 (which had been in use since the 70's) to ICD10. I worked on an ICD10 project. There were seriously something like 100 ICD10s for "automobile collision with train while passenger hangs from front passenger window", "automobile collision with train while passenger hangs from rear passenger window", etc. How is that more efficient?

[Bill Douglas]

I thought the US was meant to be expensive. That's a bargain.

I see Skin Doc every six or twelve months and get half a dozen basal cell carinomas burnt off and that costs $180. And if he is suspicious about a particular sun spot and wants to cut it out and have it tested that's about $500.

[Noah930]

Sounds about right.

If you were willing to wait until this December when you're in town, I coulda done it gratis. (Well, except for the pathologist. That's a different office so I have no control over that.)

See you at the Troubadour!