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Organize Bills

We recommend the following steps to organize your medical bills:

  1. Separate the bills by the provider of service name.
  2. Stack the oldest statement date on the bottom and the most current date on the top.
  3. Next, sort the EOB’s (explanation of benefits) or EOMB’s (explanation of medical benefits) by provider of service and total amount charged.
  4. Stack the oldest service date on the bottom and the most current on the top.
  5. If you have a supplemental insurance, sort the oldest EOB on the bottom and the most current on the top.

Now you are ready to match the provider statement with the insurance payment statements (EOB or EOMB).

Take the provider bill and look for the service date and the amount of the charge. Next, look at the stack of EOB’s, and then the supplemental EOB’s. Place the provider bill on top, then the Insurance EOB second, and then the supplemental EOB last. Proceed with the rest of the provider bills, and follow the same format. Place any duplicates in a separate stack to be disposed of later.

Medical Bill Organizer

We have put together a useful Excel spreadsheet to help you manage your billing. This tool will help you track your bills and monitor your insurance payments throughout the hospital billing process.

Download the Medical Bill Organizer

Organizing hospital, physician and other medical bills

After a hospital stay or a visit to your doctor, you may receive many different documents. It is very important to keep these medical bills, payment statements, receipts, prescription information, and claim forms together and in order.

Here are some basic tips that will help you organize this important information.

  1. Always ask whether a Provider (Hospital, Physician, Home care service, etc.) will bill all of your insurance plans directly on your behalf, and if they accept Medicare assignment.
    • Even if they agree to bill your insurances, you will regularly receive bills, statements, and explanation of benefits (EOB’s) (response of the insurance company determinations.)
    • If the provider will not bill your insurance, you will be required to submit the bill yourself, or have someone assist you in filing it with your insurance company
  1. Obtain a large accordion folder with several pockets to keep all of your paperwork together. Several plain folders will also work. You will need to label the pockets or individual folder for the following:
    • Each provider of service
    • Prescription information
    • Extra insurance forms
    • Miscellaneous
  1. Read each bill or statement carefully. Review the information. Look for:
    • The name of the provider
    • The address of the provider
    • The account number
    • The charge and date of service
    • The description of service
    • Your name, Medicare and/or insurance information
    • The phone number to call with questions

Make sure you understand the bill. If you have any questions, call the number on the statement for clarification.

  1. The service date (the date you received the service) and the total amount of the charge will help you sort and organize the documents by provider.
  1. Remember to look for the EOB form first. This will state whether a charge was paid, denied, or if additional information is needed. If there is nothing for you to do, then file the form in the folder or divider assigned to that provider of service.
  1. If insurance has paid on the claim, then the supplemental insurance can be billed. If the provider of service is handling this for you, simply file the Insurance payment form in the correct provider folder or divider.

However, if you must file with your secondary insurance, then make a photocopy of the EOB form and the provider bill. Print, on the copies, your supplemental identification number, then mail both the EOB and the itemized bill, if required, to the insurance company.

*Please note, some insurance companies require their own claim form also be included. If you have one of these companies, follow their procedure.

  1. As each provider charge is paid by your insurance and there is no remaining balance, mark the bill as paid. File the provider statement, the EOB, and the other insurance determination of benefits form together in the proper folder or divider.
  1. To keep track of all the payments, make a record of the information on a sheet of paper for easy review. Make a list of the following:
    • Provider of service
    • Account number
    • Date of service
    • Total charge for service
    • Amount paid by Medicare
    • Amount paid by insurance
    • Payment you may have made
    • Current balance