You’re sorting through your mail and find a bill for an account you thought had been closed a long time ago. The medical field is especially prone to these long-term clerical frustrations. But why does this happen? Is there anything that you, as a consumer, can do to prevent these delayed charges? Unfortunately, the answer to the latter is not a great deal, but there are a few things that you can do to get ahead of the game. You are responsible for these bills, but it is nice to know why you are being charged.
Clerical Error
As nice as it sounds, these delayed charges are rarely bills you don’t have to pay. If an unexpected bill makes it to your mailbox, most of the time you are going to need to pay for it. Hospitals aren’t particularly susceptible to sending charges to the wrong patient (largely due to patient/doctor …