Errors in medical bills are common.  Seven steps noted below can help you reduce the odds of paying more than you should.

First, don’t pay cash in the doctor’s office.  If you must pay a deductible, co-pay, or other charge in person, pay by check or credit card.  That way, you’ll have more records (cancelled check image, credit card bill) to show that you paid.

Second, if your doctor’s office asks you to pay on the spot for a balance due when you haven’t gotten a statement yet, explain that you prefer to have the paperwork before you pay, to keep your records straight.

Third, when you get a bill, if you have health insurance, check the related Explanation of Benefits (EOB) your health insurer provides.  (Medicare calls its EOBs “Medicare Summary Notices.”)  If you have both primary and secondary insurance, such as Medicare and supplemental insurance, check both.  Make sure that this paperwork shows that you owe the money.

Fourth, when you pay a bill, keep records that will allow you to tell later the dates of service that the payment covers, who you paid, and how you paid.  For example, if you pay by check, write in the memo field (bottom left-hand corner of the check) not only your account number, statement number, or other identifier that the doctor’s office wants listed, but also the dates of service.  On the bill, write the date, the check number, and the amount paid.

In your checkbook or on your computer in a program such as Quicken, again record the dates of service that the payment covers and perhaps a brief description (“annual check-up” or “knee pain,” for example).

If you have access to a scanner, a printer that can make copies, or a copy machine, capture an image of the whole bill before you tear off the part to send back. Sometimes, the only place where the doctor’s name appears is on that tear-off section; without a copy of the full bill, it can be hard later to figure out who you paid.

Fifth, whenever you get a bill, check your records (such as your checkbook, Quicken, credit card statements, and/or copies of bills paid) to make sure that you didn’t already pay this bill, or one that includes the same charges for the same dates of service.

Sixth, never pay a “balance carried forward,” “prior balance,” or anything similar without checking the previous bills to see how that balance was created.

Seventh, be sure to include the portion of the bill they ask you to return when you send your payment. 

Next week’s column offers more steps to take when you do all of the above and some bills are still wrong.