Tip of the day: Check medical bills carefully for errors

Billing errors are common at hospitals and other health care facilities, so ask for an itemized bill and check it for accuracy. If you have insurance, compare the bill to your plan's explanation of benefits or Medicare summary notice. Look for all the common errors, which include:

• Incorrect dates of service. Make sure you're not being charged for a room on the day you were discharged from the hospital, which most plans don't allow.
• Inflated room charges. Incidentals like sheets and towels should be included in the basic room charge.
• Duplicate fees for tests and procedures.
• Human errors. One mistaken keystroke could result in the wrong billing code.
• Inflated operating room time. Your hospital should have an exact record of when your surgery began and ended.

Read more money-saving tips from our Health-Care Savings Series.