How to request an itemized medical bill

Most bills you receive are summaries: a few department totals and one balance. You cannot check a summary. The itemized bill shows every charge on its own line, and it is the document everything else starts from.

What an itemized bill contains

Each line should show:

• the date of service
• a description of the service, supply or medication
• a billing code (a CPT or HCPCS code, and on hospital bills a revenue code)
• the quantity or number of units
• the amount charged

At the bottom, it should show adjustments, insurance payments, what you already paid and what is left.

How to ask for it

1. Find the billing department's contact details on your statement, usually near the balance or on the back.
2. Ask in writing. Email, the patient portal, or a letter all work. Writing gives you a date and a record. Our free itemized bill letter fills itself in from a few details, on your device.
3. Mention your right of access. You have a right to your own health information, and that includes billing records (45 CFR 164.524).
4. Ask them to note that the balance is being reviewed while you wait.

When it arrives

Check that every line has a date, a code and an amount, and that the lines add up to the total. Then look for charges that appear twice, services you do not remember, and supplies billed on their own line.

Open it in MedBillCheckup (it is read on your device and never uploaded) and we will add up the lines for you, point out what is worth asking about, and write out the questions.