Did you know that hospitals can harm patients in other ways than by providing inadequate care? Each year, countless people are financially harmed by medical billing errors. This type of hospital negligence is common in Ohio and the rest of the nation, as a recent article from The Plain Dealer pointed out.

The article said that it is possible for as many as 289 people to play a role in determining your hospital bill, which is why mistakes are rampant. Another contributing factor is that hospital bills are usually complex and filled with medical codes, which makes it hard for patients to discern when they have been overcharged.

Here are some tips from The Plain Dealer's article on protecting yourself from medical billing errors:

1. Make sure that your personal information is correct before being admitted. A lot of billing errors are made during the inception of the bill because so many people are entering information on your behalf. Make sure that all personal and insurance information they have is correct and up-to-date.

2. Make sure you understand the procedures that will be performed. If you are having a planned procedure, meet with hospital staff to find out exactly what will be taking place. Then make sure to check with your insurance provider to make sure that everything you are having done is covered by you insurance plan.

3. Bring a friend or family member along to the hospital. You might not be thinking clearly the day of surgery, which is why it's important to have someone there on your behalf. Have the person closely record the treatment you are getting during your hospital stay.

4. Check to make sure your records match the hospital bill. When you receive you bill, make sure that the notes your friend or relative took match the list of procedures you have been charged for. Even a simple typo can make a world of difference on a medical bill.

5. Ask for an itemized bill. An itemized bill explains all of the codes used on medical bills so you can better understand what you have been charged for. If something doesn't look right, be sure to ask for clarification from the hospital's business department.

These are all good ways to protect yourself from becoming the victim of medical billing errors. Although billing errors probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind when you think of hospital negligence, it's something nobody wants to have to deal with after going through a medical procedure.

Source: The Plain Dealer "Medical Billing Errors: What can go wrong? What can you do?," June 24, 2012