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A patient saved around Rs 44,000 after a medical operation just by asking for complete details of the bill. When he looked at the bill carefully, he realized that he was being charged for a surgery that had never happened. He was about to make a payment plan to pay the bill, but a colleague's advice saved him from getting into trouble.

Thousands of rupees were saved due to some questions of the patient…

The patient has shared his story on social media. She described how her initial bill was around Rs 1 lakh ($1,100), but when she questioned the wrong items added to the bill, the bill was reduced to Rs 57,000 ($618).

The user wrote on social media: "I had a minor procedure done at a regional hospital in January. Even after insurance, I got a bill of around Rs 1 lakh ($1,100). I was planning to just make a payment plan and pay it, but someone in the office advised me to always ask for an itemized bill first. I did the same."

When the hospital sent the 6-page bill, the patient read it carefully. He came to know that Rs 31,430 had been added to the bill for Anesthesia Consultation, which was never given to him. Apart from this, the charge for one supply kit was also imposed twice.

The user continued, "I called the billing department. I thought it would take a lot of arguing, but the lady talking there was very calm. She said she would send it over for review. After about 2 weeks, they removed both of the erroneous charges. My bill went down from $1,100 to $618."

After saving money, the patient paid the entire bill at once. But he advised others to always ask for itemized bill, otherwise such a mistake would go unnoticed.

See viral post…

People's reaction on the internet

As soon as the post went viral, social media users pointed out that due to lack of government oversight, hospitals often resort to such tactics to extract more money. One user said, "Always try asking for itemized bill, the bill gets reduced by up to 20%." While another wrote: "If the mistake is always to their advantage, it's not a mistake. It's intentional."

A third user said, "The most disturbing thing is that even the insurance companies don't care. When I contacted them to tell them, they said, 'Whatever. We have already paid.' Meaning, you will fight me over coverage, but not question the hospital about fraud?”

Another said, “Surprisingly, ‘mistakes’ always increase the bill, never reduce it.” One person shared their experience, "I did this once and got about $400 taken off my bill. It's weird how anything adds up to the bill." Overall, the biggest takeaway from this post and comments is that just taking a few minutes to check your bill can save you big.