Ahh...a little taste of why I don't worry about the US economy having an impact on my employment...sorry a little humor...thrown on a very sad situation. We've done a great job messing up healthcare coverage in this country!

While there certainly are a fair share of dishonest folks out there trying to make a buck off insurance companies, government programs, and honest patients/families, there are also a large number of folks and institutions out there who make mistakes unknowingly (no excuse I know) and...my personal favorite...hire people who know nothing about what they are doing...have no experience or education...and are so under paid and under trained they have no incentive to do their job correctly. Many of us would argue that the desire to do something right should be inherent or those folks should not do the job but it s a tight market and people need work...it's a vicious cycle.

In any case, it is a great idea to keep all of your bills, EOBs (Explanations of Benefits from your insurance company), canceled checks, receipts, etc. for each and every service, treatment, item, drug, etc that you purchase or consume during the course of your treatment. Hospitals are required to keep records (generally) for 7-10 years and I would recommend we all do the same. Create a filing system (or ask a trusted friend or family member to do this job for you) using some bankers boxes if necessary to track everything. I would suggest logging every date of service and keeping the log handy as a reference. I have developed a simple spreadsheet you can use (feel free to modify...if you do not have MS Excel...let me know and I can send it in another format)...feel free to email me and I will send it to you (or perhaps Brian can tell me how to post it?).
Amy