Why YSK: Most hospitals send a summary bill (for example pharmacy: $5,000) hoping you’ll panic and just pay it. These are usually full of errors or huge markups. Before you pay anything, call the billing department and ask for an itemized bill with CPT codes. This will not only force a human to review it, but it also gives you the ability to spot BS. I tried this last year and the bill dropped by about 30% literally just because I asked, so don’t let them rip you off.
Regardless of whether it reduces the bill it is a good practice to understand what you are paying. That leads to understanding the insurance side of things as well, where I have personally experienced errors in the not too distant past. It is financially dangerous not to pay attention to this racket (referring to insurance, not providers).