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Patients should always check doctor or hospital bills for errors if possible.
Sebastian Schnyder is not really lucky this year. The retired doctor had a lot of health problems and had to go to the hospital several times. After the procedures, he takes a close look at his doctor and hospital bills. “This year I have practically only received false invoices.” This is how Schnyder finds items on the invoices that did not take place.
Invented anesthesia monitoring
During an outpatient hand operation, the hospital charged him, among other things, for anesthesia monitoring, which never existed. Sebastian Schnyder was billed for eleven hours of anesthesia for another procedure in a different clinic that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes. This is legal according to Tarmed, said the service provider. Sebastian Schnyder has also experienced doctors refusing to correct the bill. “It’s probably a minority, but there is a certain arrogance among certain doctors who see patients as inferior and don’t talk to them.” Sebastian Schnyder emphasizes that there are a variety of reasons for the higher premiums, incorrect invoices being just one of them.
Termination of treatment after critical inquiry
As a former occupational therapist, Dorothea Schütt is used to checking invoices. When she receives the bill from her family doctor, she is astonished: “733 francs for that little bit that happened.” Ms. Schütt asks her family doctor for an exact bill and finds positions that, in her opinion, are unfounded. The doctor reduces the bill amount to around 647 francs. Because this is still too much for Dorothea Schütt, she asks the doctor critically.
With drastic consequences: “I will no longer provide you with medical care,” replies the family doctor. Dorothea Schütt is shocked: “I just ask and then I’ll be thrown out.” The family doctor’s lawyer commented to “Kassenrutsch”: “The service was provided in accordance with Tarmed and billed accordingly.” According to the law, a doctor is not allowed to continue treating a patient if a conflict becomes apparent.
No support from health insurance
Dorothea Schütt calls her health insurance company Swica to stop payment of the unresolved bill. Swica cannot help and writes to the premium payer: “We as a health insurance company cannot complain about individual invoices or items because we do not know whether these actually took place or not. »
Mario Fasshauer demands medical bills that patients can read and understand themselves. The patient center estimates that 3-4 billion francs could be saved annually if invoices were actually legible for patients.
Health insurance companies, such as Helsana, systematically check invoices. Helsana receives around 26 million invoices every year. Most of it is checked automatically using algorithms. A special department tries to identify irregularities and black sheep among the doctors. According to Helsana, it saves between 500 and 600 million francs annually with these automated controls.