What to Do After a Hospital Stay
Being admitted into the hospital can be a scary experience, even if it’s only overnight. However, regardless of why you’re admitted, you want to take the necessary precautions to make sure you aren’t readmitted, follow up with your treating physician and verify that your insurance covers the length of your stay. If you’ve recently been discharged from the hospital but aren’t sure about what you need to do, read on to learn what to do after a hospital stay.
Checking Your Insurance
After being discharged from the hospital, your first course of action is to file your insurance papers. Your health insurance plays a pivotal role in your hospital stay mainly because they pay most of the bill. Hospital bills, even for simple injury and treatment, can be astronomical. As such, you’ll need to rely on the company to avoid paying a high bill. Call your health insurance company and find out how much the bill was and how much you’ll have to pay after the deductible is met. Your part of the bill can often be negotiated into a payment plan; you can sometimes get a discount if you pay in full right away for your part of the bill.
Maintaining Care
Prior to discharge, the treating physician will give you aftercare instructions to make sure you don’t have to pay another visit to the hospital. Unfortunately, many patients end up returning to the hospital within a month of their discharge, either from a relapse of symptoms or not following discharge instructions. If you don’t follow the doctor’s orders, you could be readmitted to the hospital because of negligence with your health. Always make sure to follow the instructions that are given to you. If you don’t understand the discharge plan, you can contact the hospital where you were admitted or your family physician for more information.
Follow-Up Visits
A little while after your hospital stay and doing your best to keep yourself healthy, it’s important to follow up with your doctor. They’ll see how you’re doing and ask questions related to their orders. They’ll also ask of you’ve experienced setbacks or recurring symptoms to see if further testing is required. Keep in mind that there is nothing wrong with admitting that you’re still experiencing issues despite following the doctor’s orders.
After discharge, the last thing anyone wants readmission. However, it’s your responsibility to keep that from happening. Take the necessary precautions such as checking in with your insurance company, follow the aftercare instructions given to you by your doctor, and schedule follow up visits. Finally, if you feel like you’re not improving, return to the hospital immediately for proper evaluation and treatment.
Insurance companies can really help when it comes to medical expenses, but not every offer, policy, or company you see is legitimate. Read this article for information that will help you avoid insurance company scams.
