When it comes to any serious or chronic medical condition, being organized, will save you time, money and hopefully provide a record for whoever is assisting you. I've found, it quickly becomes hard to remember who you've seen or why you saw them when you are working on a complex medical problem. Here are some of the steps I'm using to keep track of what is happening.
1. Pray, ask the Lord to show you what you need to know and show it to you when you need to know it. Ask for wisdom and guidance in the selection of physician, facilities and treatment plans.
2. Pull out a 3 ring binder and add dividers. I like sheet protectors, but if you're into hole punching each page...have fun! Organize your notebook in a way that makes sense to you and fits your circumstance.
3. Research, get on the internet, read the user friendly sites. Dig into the medical journal articles if you can stomach them. Put key pages or notes in your notebook.
4. Write out questions for your physicians. Organize your questions by physician and topic. For many intense medical situations you will have more than one physician. You need a list for each physician focused on their area of speciality.
5. If you are unsure of your medical benefits, and you or your family member is or will be hospitalized, ask for an appointment with a benefits specialist at your hospital. Or call your employer's human resources department or your health insurance company and find out about your coverage. Keep track of dates and times of phone calls and who you spoke with. Careful records can get disputed claims paid on appeal.
6. Make a list of all your physicians, their speciality and office phone number. I included pictures of my providers with my list. That way my family would know what my physicians looked like and could recognize them even if I wasn't able too.
7. Keep a detailed list of every appointment including the date, who it was with, the purpose, and the outcome. You may want to track billing/payment info for each appointment on the same list. It makes it easier to remember where you have been and helps to keep you organized when the bills start coming in the mail. If you have had a procedure done, watch for multiple bills from "hidden" docs such as anesthesia, radiology, pathology.
8. When the bills start coming in, log on to your insurance company website and make sure each bill is paid by your insurance company correctly before paying your portion. Insurance companies do make mistakes....lots of them. I've disputed claims payments both ways. When the provider billed incorrectly and when insurance failed to pay correctly. Once you are convinced the bill is correctly paid, then pay your portion.
9. If you are uninsured. Negotiate with your providers upfront. Try to avoid a discount from billed charges. If possible, negotiate a flat rate. For example, ask for a percentage over the Medicare fee schedule. You can find it on line at https://www.cms.gov/apps/physician-fee-schedule/. If they're taking Medicare, they will know exactly what you are talking about. If not, try to get the Blue Cross/Blue Shield fee schedule plus a percentage. This benefits both of you. First, you'll pay a lot less than a percentage off of billed charges and you'll have a good idea up front of what your total bill should be. Second, the provider knows that you will pay and give them a time frame for prompt payment. Facility medical claims are always the last to be paid and trust me hospitals know it.
