consumer protection resources

AFFORDABLE SURGERY CENTERS
Stop Doing Business with Hospitals and Surgery Centers who are not transparent with their pricing.
A basic practice in business is to let your customers know how much you charge. Healthcare should be no different. If your hospital wonāt provide an estimate in advance that should be a warning sign.
The following surgery centers are exemplary when it comes to price transparency and cash friendly pricing.
Many times itās actually cheaper to pay cash for a procedure than to pay the inflated insurance rates. Even if you have to incur travel costs it may be more affordable to travel to one of these locations for your next surgical procedure.
Full disclaimer, Revolt Healthcare Agency is not affiliated with any of these facilities nor do we receive any kind of financial compensation for recommending them.
Surgery Center of Oklahoma āĀ Oklahoma City, OK
Forsyth Surgical AssociatesĀ Ā āĀ Winston Salem NC
Lonestar Surgery CenterĀ āĀ West University Place (Houston), TX
No Insurance SurgeryĀ āĀ Las Vegas, NV
Pacific Surgical CenterĀ āĀ Longview, WA
QuikSurgĀ āĀ Chattanooga, TX
Texas Free Market SurgeryĀ āĀ Austin, TX
Thyroid Surgery Center of Texas āAustin, TX
Tucson Medical Center - Tucson, AZ
Daytime Outpatient Surgical Center ā Dallas, TX
Stony Point Surgery Center ā Richmond, VA
Surgery without Medical Insurance ā Bakersfield, CA
Ocean Surgery Center ā Torrance, CA
Good Shepard Medical Center ā Longview, TX
Oklahoma Heart Hospital ā Oklahoma City, OK
Henry Ford Hospital ā Detroit, MI
Regency Healthcare ā New York City
Orthopedic Surgery Center of Orange County ā Newport Beach, CA
BEWARE OF PREDATORY BILLING
When patients are responsible and careful to pick in-network hospitals and in-network doctors but still receive care and bills from other out-of-network doctors that they did not choose⦠thatās predatory billing!
This is also known as āsurpriseā out-of-network billing. Insurance companyās routinely refuse to pay these out-of-network doctorās fees, which are typically over-priced and un-regulated. In many such cases, the doctor then ābalance billsā the patient for the difference.
Is your state protecting you from Predatory Billing?
Click here to see if your government officials are protecting you. If they are not, you may want to re-think who you are voting for the next time you go to the polls.
Here Are 18 Things You Can Do If You Are A Victim Of Predatory Billing:
1. Ā If you are a client of Revolt Healthcare Alliance: Contact us and we will work with you and The Karis Group to negotiate a fair bill. Every medical bill is disputable. Due to the lack of billing transparency, Americans are often being charged outrageous prices for common medical services, such asĀ $600 for a Band-AidĀ orĀ Ā $9,000 for a CT Scan.
2. Find the fair market price: You can find out the average price for a medical service by looking up whatĀ MedicareĀ would pay and what aĀ commercialĀ insurance company would pay for the same service. Another tool that can enable you to find average prices is healthcareĀ bluebook. Even better, you can show the hospital what other centers charge for the same service by researching prices on our Affordable Surgery Center (link to our page).
3. Ask for an itemized bill:Ā 80%Ā of medical bills contain mistakes. Review the services and let the hospital know if there were services not rendered or if there are duplicate charges. Hospitals will often delete items when patients report inaccuracies. Use thisĀ toolĀ to translate medical procedure codes and medical diagnosis codes into plain language so you can understand your bill.
4. Call your insurance company: If you have insurance, checkĀ your explanation of benefits (EOB) to see if the services you are being charged for should be covered. If you believe that the bill should be covered according to your EOB, but the insurance company is refusing to pay, contact yourĀ state. Here is an example of how to file an appeal.
5. Contact the hospitalās financial aid office: All hospitals are required by law to have a financial aid program. Some hospitals forgive or reduce bills of patients who are below 200% of the federal poverty line. Most hospitals offer payment plans, however, beware of payment plans that offer a small discount on the total bill. Ā Your payment plan should be based on fair market prices and not on an inflated price.
6. Contact your doctor: Explain to your doctor how much you were charged and request that they help to negotiate a fair price on your behalf. For bills from private practice physicians, you can explain your financial hardships and ask for help.
7. Address out-of-network services: If you received an out-of-network charge at an in-network hospital for non-urgent care, you should have legally been warned that you may receive a surprise bill.Ā 57%Ā of Americans have received a surprise bill.
8. Get Help: The Patient Advocate Foundation is a free service that can help.
9. Know your rights: When going to the hospital, you are absolutely not required to provide a credit card or other financial information, including insurance status. Hospitals are legally required to take care of all patients who go to an emergency department regardless of their ability to pay. If the hospital pressures you for payment information cite theĀ EMTALAĀ law.
10. Call your hospitalās executives: If you believe youāve been unfairly charged for services not rendered or massively overcharged for services received, then contact the hospitalās CEOās office through the hospitalās operator as well as the CFOās office. If they donāt help, and the bill is truly egregious, contact the hospitalās board members through their offsite office. Many hospital executives are reasonable, but are unaware of how extreme their billing systems can be.
11. Post a review: Draft a review to post on social media sites. But prior to posting, share it with the hospital and billing department to see if they think your review is fair. If publishing a review, post it to multiple sites. Be sure to be factually accurate and civil to protect yourself from legal recourse. Sites you can post to include: Yelp, Rate MDs, Healthgrades.com, Real Patient Ratings, Vitals.com, Doctor.com, and Google.com
12. Engage with your hospitalĀ on their social media sites: Lookup your hospital on social media. Tag them within your posts or directly message them to share your situation. Hospital administrators typically respond to patient feedback if itās public.
13. Call your local news stations: Lookup your local news outlets on the internet. Find their contact information and share your story with their investigative or consumer protection journalists.
14. Submit your bill to national media outlets: There are plenty of national news sources that are willing and happy to tell your story of injustice. Here are a few news companies and how to contact them: NPR, VOX, KHN (Kaiser Health News)
15. Contact your stateās attorney general: Reach out to them explaining your situation. With this explanation, ācc both the hospital that billed you and a news source who may help hold them accountable for a response.
16. Demand to see a legal contract: If collectors are harassing you for an unfair bill, insist they provide you with a contract requiring you to pay. Collectors are generally unable to provide documentation and without a written agreement that you owe money, you have no legal obligation to pay. If someone mows your lawn without a contract and bills you a $1000, you wouldnāt have to pay for it. Itās no different with medical bills. Even if you signed payment agreements and a consent to treat form when you were under duress, they are not legally invalid.
17. Donāt pay for care you didnāt need: If you received inappropriate care or had an avoidable complication, youāre not responsible for these services. In a study regarding patients in the state of Washington, over 600,000 patients underwent unnecessary medical care at a cost of $282 million.
18. Cash is King: Offer to pay the hospital cash if they will accept theĀ MedicareĀ allowable amount. Hospitals donāt like to but they will offer larger discounts for an instant cash payment.
IMPORTANT FAMILY MEDICAL FORMS
HOW TO SPEAK YOUR DOCTORS LANGUAGE
SHOP SMART FOR HEALTHCARE COVERAGE
Are You Shopping Smart For Your Healthcare Coverage?
Consider These Statistics.

Whatās more important, your television or your health? Donāt be average.
- The average monthly mortgage payment for US homeowners is $1030 - The average healthcare premium for a family is $1,168.
- The average monthly new car payment for US car buyers is $530 - The average healthcare premium for a US individual is $440
- Most peopleās healthcare premiums are as expensive as a car payment or second mortgage. You owe it to yourself and your family to shop smart not only for your healthcare coverage premiums but also for healthcare services and procedures.
Revolt Healthcare Agents are here to help you shop for the best possible coverage at the best possible price.
You can also use these shopping tools for your next service or procedure: