Managing medical bills, keeping track of doctor visits, filing insurance claims, and organizing medical records can all leave you feeling overwhelmed. Here are a few tips that can make managing TMJ disorder, or any chronic illness easier – and might stop you from pulling out your hair!

Records that are important to keep:

• Medical Bills
• Records of phone calls, emails and letters from doctors and insurers
• Insurance claims forms including claims filed, reimbursements, and explanations of benefits.
• Records of hospital stays, treatments, procedures, exams, lab tests, drugs prescribed and prescriptions filled.

Doctor Visits & Hospital Stays – What to Keep Track Of

Keep a log that includes:
1. Medical appointments
2. Prescriptions filled
3. Lab work
4. Procedures

Whether you have insurance or not, this is an important thing to do. Keeping logs of appointments, prescriptions, procedures (and their costs) will help you when the bill comes around. Hospitals are notorious for including charges for things you didn’t even use. If you’re in the hospital, don’t rely on your memory to record the medications, tests, and procedures you have. If you can, assign a family member or friend to be your advocate…they can record everything for you so that it’s much easier to ask questions (and to talk with the insurance company if you have a dispute).Read More »Tips for Managing the Never Ending Mountain of Medical Paperwork & Files