How to Negotiate With Doctors' Offices for Bills
Medical bills can be frightening. By negotiating with your doctor's billing department before the procedure, you can sometimes reduce your out-of-pocket costs substantially. As in any negotiation, you may have to compromise. For instance, you may need to pay your bill by a certain date, or by using a certain payment method. Regardless, you can indeed negotiate with your doctor's office before and after medical procedures.
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Instructions
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Ask your doctor's billing department if it offers any discounts for cash payments. A doctor's office, like other types of vendors, has to pay a fee to take credit card payments. Your doctor's billing department may be willing to pass along the savings if it does not have to pay these fees for your cash payment. Ask if you can receive any discount for paying your bill within a certain amount of time. If your doctor's office knows it will not have to wait for your payment, it may be willing to offer a discount in return.
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Ask about a payment plan. If you cannot pay the entire bill in one payment, your doctor's billing office may be willing to set up an installment plant to help you pay the bill over time.
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Ask for an itemized bill instead of a summary bill. This helps you spot any errors that may have crept into the billing process. Insurance companies may miss noticing that you did not have a specific procedure, but you will be able to see this information from an itemized bill.
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Conduct research to see what the "fair market" value of the particular procedure you're undergoing. The fair market price is usually slightly higher than what an insurance company might pay for the same type of care. This helps you know when you have negotiated a fair rate with your doctor.
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Talk to the billing department after the procedure. If your circumstances have changed or your bill is larger than you expected, your doctor's billing department will likely be open to negotiation. Offer a set percentage of the amount due and ask if the office can write off the remaining amount.
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