How to Organize Medical Bills - Scripps Health (2024)

After a hospital stay, medical procedure or doctor’s appointment, you may receive different kinds of paperwork in the mail or through your MyScripps account. For example, you may get a bill from Scripps and also an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurance company.

These documents are important. They help you understand how much your insurance company paid for your care, and how much (if anything) you now owe. Learn how Scripps works with your insurance company to calculate your medical bills.

The following tips can help you compare your bills and EOBs, and keep track of payments you need to make.

• Read each medical bill and EOB thoroughly. Learn how to read your bill or look up definitions for billing terms you may not be familiar with.
• Separate your medical bills from your EOBs. Make a single file or stack for each hospital, doctor or insurance company.
• Match bills to their corresponding EOBs. Start by looking at one bill and highlighting the date of service and the charge. Then, look through your EOBs for the matching service dates and charge amounts. Clip the matching bill and EOB documents together.

See if each bill is paid in full, or if there is a balance due. The matching EOB will state whether the charge was fully or partially paid by your insurance company, whether the charge is denied or pending, and what amount was applied to your deductible or co-insurance. The EOB also explains whether your insurance company needs more information (such as accident details) in order to finish processing your claim.

• If your bill is already paid in full, place it in a file or pocket folder called “Paid in Full.”
• If your bill is not paid because Scripps is still waiting for payment from your insurance company, place it in a file called “Needs Payment From Insurance Company.” You should contact your insurance company about the status of your claim, especially if it’s been more than 30 days since you received care.You’llreceive a bill for your remaining responsibility.
• If you’ve confirmed the bill needs to be paid by you, place it in a file called “Needs Payment From Me.” Pay attention to the date the bill is due.
• Once you’ve paid a bill, move it to your file called “Paid in Full.”