{"id":1648,"date":"2016-06-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-02T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qa.simplifimoney.com\/blog\/4-ways-get-most-out-your-doctors-visits\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T16:56:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T16:56:37","slug":"4-ways-get-most-out-your-doctors-visits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/4-ways-get-most-out-your-doctors-visits\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Doctors Visits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health care is an unavoidable aspect of being human, and even with stellar medical coverage, it deserves a line item in your budget. According to the latest News and Numbers<\/em> report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average visit to a doctor\u2019s office costs $199\u2013but you\u2019ll shell out $1,275, on average, for an outpatient hospital visit.<\/p>\n

While you can\u2019t control all forms of disease and illness, there are <\/em>proactive steps that you can take to maximize your healthcare budget, and it starts by getting the most out of the care you receive in the doctor\u2019s office. Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ask about Policies First<\/strong><\/p>\n

Medical offices vary in their appointment policies and the services they\u2019ll charge for and perform. Before you set the appointment and start budgeting<\/a>, ask about the practice\u2019s policies, including penalty charges for missed or cancelled appointments and fees associated with certain paperwork processing, like required short-term disability forms if you have a condition or procedure that causes you to miss work temporarily.<\/p>\n

You should also inquire about the medical office\u2019s policy for treating multiple needs in the same visit (for example, writing a new prescription for a recurring condition at a \u201csick\u201d appointment). Some will require you to schedule separate visits for each medical need and pay a separate co-pay each time.<\/p>\n

Gather pricing information from medical providers just as you would estimates for home repair or auto repair. If you don\u2019t like their payment policies, find a provider that offers the service you expect.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Research your Insurance Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Medical offices vary in how diligently they research your health insurance and prescription drug coverage before recommending treatment. Ultimately, you are responsible for paying for the care you accept.<\/p>\n

Always confirm that a doctor is covered under your plan, and if you anticipate a certain procedure, like lab samples, X-rays, blood work or annual tests, confirm what is covered with your insurance provider before you accept treatment. Some plans require that you pay a certain amount out of pocket (which \u201cresets\u201d annually), before the plan pays anything.<\/p>\n

With this information, you can strategize the timing of your medical care to get the most coverage possible, and lower your doctor office visit cost.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Question Everything<\/strong><\/p>\n

Healthcare is a rare industry: costs of goods are known to be high, yet customers rarely question the goods and services they are told to buy. While it is your doctor\u2019s job to recommend a sound treatment plan, it\u2019s not his or her duty to consider your financial situation. Never assume that he or she has given thought to costs.<\/p>\n

When your doctor recommends tests or treatment plans, engage in a conversation to understand what function each performs and whether it\u2019s the only option. Consumer advocate Dr. Holly Lucille, ND, RN, recommends asking the doctor about lifestyle changes that might minimize the severity of a current condition, inquiring about non-prescription alternatives to the recommended treatment, and researching preventative measures you can take to boost your own body\u2019s defenses.<\/p>\n

Bring your prescription formulary with you to every doctor visit (access it online from your health insurance provider, or call and request a copy). Show it to the doctor before he or she writes the prescription so you know that you\u2019re getting the best coverage you can for the recommended treatment.<\/p>\n

Inquire whether there are older varieties of the same medicine that may be less expensive, but are simply not \u201ctop of mind\u201d for the doctor. Ask for samples of new prescriptions to confirm that a formula works with your body and condition before paying for the full-sized option.<\/p>\n

If you take a prescription regularly for an ongoing condition, shop prices by calling both brick and mortar pharmacies and using prescription price comparison sites.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check your Explanation of Benefits, and Final Paperwork<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Medical Billing Advocates of America (MBAA) estimate that 8 out of 10 medical bills contain an error. A few weeks after you receive care that was submitted to your health insurance provider, you\u2019ll receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) letter in the mail detailing your doctor visit cost. (Often it will say \u201cthis is not a bill\u201d at the top).<\/p>\n

Make sure your basic contact information and the numbers on your insurance card are accurately shown on the statement. One wrong digit may actually identify a different plan that has different coverage than your own.<\/p>\n

The earlier you catch the issue, the easier it will be to resolve. Review the statement details to confirm that the services on it accurately reflect what you approved to be performed and completed at the doctor visit.<\/p>\n

If there is too much jargon, or vague terms like \u201ckits\u201d and \u201ctrays,\u201d that leave you unsure as to what you\u2019re actually paying for, contact the biller for clarity, and to ensure that you are not being charged twice for the same item or for tests that didn\u2019t actually happen.<\/p>\n

Under the American Hospital Association\u2019s Patient\u2019s Bill of Rights, medical billing departments must send you a free detailed bill upon request.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Taylor Christensen is a former financial services marketer based in Columbus, OH. The founder of Wellness On Less<\/a>, she also writes on small business, consumer interest, wellness, career and personal finance<\/a> topics.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Health care is an unavoidable aspect of being human, and even with stellar medical coverage, it deserves a line item in your budget. According to the latest report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average visit to a doctor\u2019s office costs $199\u2013but you\u2019ll shell out $1,275, on average, for an outpatient hospital visit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":1649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"4 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Doctors Visits | Quicken","_seopress_titles_desc":"Health care is an unavoidable aspect of being human, and even with stellar medical coverage, it deserves a line item in your budget.","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-budgeting-savings"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/4-ways-to-get-most-doctors-visits.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1648"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2679,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1648\/revisions\/2679"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quicken.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}