TIMELY FILING PATIENT RESPONSIBILITY HOW TO
TIMELY FILING PATIENT RESPONSIBILITY CODE

Under Georgia law, patients have the right to inquire as to the estimated charges for a routine office visit, routine treatments, and lab tests prior to receiving such treatment. The American Hospital Association issued similar guidelines to encourage hospitals to respond promptly to patientsвЂ™ questions about their bills and to use a clear and patient-friendly billing process.

Hospitals are also required to provide, upon your request, a written summary of hospital charge rates per service to allow the patients to assess the charges and make cost effective decisions in the purchase of hospital services.

TIMELY FILING PATIENT RESPONSIBILITY CODE

The Georgia Administrative Code mandates that hospitals should develop, implement and enforce policies and procedures to ensure that each patient is provided an itemized statement of all charges for which the patient is being billed. Hospitals generally have specific billing timelines, and processes to follow.

However, there are several steps you can take to speed up the process.ДЇirst, you should contact the hospitalвЂ™s billing department and inquire into the status of your bill. It does not contain a similar deadline for hospitals to issue a bill for outpatient services or procedures. If you were an inpatient, GeorgiaвЂ™s Fair Business Practices Act requires a hospital or long-term care facility to provide you an itemized statement of all charges for which you are being billed within six business days after you have been released from its care. Your hospital status also affects whether the law clearly mandates a timeline for hospitals to provide you with a bill. In these cases, youвЂ™re an outpatient even if you spend the night at the hospital. You are an outpatient if you are getting emergency department services, observation services, outpatient surgery, lab tests, X-rays, or any other hospital services, and the doctor hasnвЂ™t written an order to admit you to a hospital as an inpatient.The day before youвЂ™re discharged is your last inpatient day.

You are an inpatient when you are formally admitted to a hospital with a doctorвЂ™s order.

whether the hospital considers you an вЂњinpatientвЂќ or вЂњoutpatient,вЂќ affects how much you pay for hospital services (like X-rays, drugs, and lab tests). Consumer Ed says:ДЇirst of all, it may be helpful to make sure you are actually an outpatient. In addition, it may be too late by the time I get the bill to claim it as part of my medical expenses on my taxes.

TIMELY FILING PATIENT RESPONSIBILITY HOW TO

How long does a hospital have to send me a bill for an out-patient procedure? It has been four months since the procedure, and it is hard to know how to budget for this expense.

Timely filing patient responsibility