Your Medical Bill Probably Has Mistakes
It sounds dramatic, but it’s backed by data: studies consistently find that up to 80% of medical bills contain errors. These aren’t always small rounding issues — they can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The problem is that most patients never check, and hospitals have little incentive to audit themselves. Here are the five most common errors to watch for.
1. Duplicate Charges
This is exactly what it sounds like: being billed twice for the same service, test, or medication. It’s surprisingly common in hospital settings where multiple departments may enter charges independently. Look for any line item that appears more than once with the same date of service and procedure code.
2. Upcoding
Upcoding happens when a provider bills for a more expensive procedure than what was actually performed. For example, billing a comprehensive office visit (CPT 99215) when you had a brief follow-up (CPT 99213). The difference can be $100–$200 per visit. Compare the procedure codes on your bill against your medical records and what you remember happening during your visit.
3. Unbundling
Some procedures are supposed to be billed together as a single “bundled” charge. Unbundling is when a provider bills each component separately, inflating the total. For example, a surgical procedure that includes routine lab work should be billed as one code — if you see the labs billed separately, that’s unbundling.
4. Balance Billing
If you received emergency care or were treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility, the No Surprises Act protects you from balance billing in most cases. If you’re seeing a charge for the difference between what your insurance paid and the provider’s full rate, you may have grounds to dispute it entirely.
5. Charges for Services Not Rendered
Sometimes called “phantom charges,” these are bills for tests, medications, or supplies you never actually received. This is more common after hospital stays, where the billing is complex and often automated. Always request an itemized bill and cross-reference it against your memory and medical records.
What You Can Do
Start by requesting an itemized bill — not just a summary statement. Then upload it to AskBenji’s free bill review tool. We’ll compare every line item against fair market prices, flag potential errors, and generate a dispute letter and phone script you can use to negotiate directly with the billing department.