Free Emergency Room Bill Review & Patient Advocacy
MedicalBillReview.net is a free, independent educational service that helps patients understand, review, and dispute hospital and emergency room medical bills — at no cost to you.
We Help You Fight Unfair ER Bills — For Free
Emergency room bills are among the most complex and error-prone medical documents in the United States. Studies show that up to 80% of medical bills contain errors. Our service reviews your ER bill line by line to identify overcharges, upcoding, unbundling, and duplicate charges — then gives you a detailed report you can use to dispute the bill with your hospital or insurer.
How Our Free ER Bill Review Works
- Submit your case: Fill out our secure intake form with your ER bill details.
- We review your bill: Our team compares your charges against standard CPT codes and Fair Health price benchmarks.
- We identify errors: We look for upcoding, duplicate charges, unbundling, and services you were never provided.
- You get a report: We send you a detailed review report with specific findings you can use to dispute the bill.
Common ER Billing Errors We Find
- Upcoding — billing for a higher level of care than was actually provided (e.g., CPT 99285 when 99282 is correct)
- Unbundling — charging separately for services that should be included in a single flat rate
- Duplicate billing — charging twice for the exact same service or procedure
- Phantom charges — billing for medications or supplies you never received
- Quantity errors — incorrect units or quantities of medications listed on the bill
Your Rights Under the No Surprises Act
The No Surprises Act protects patients from unexpected out-of-network charges at in-network emergency rooms. You generally cannot be billed more than your in-network cost-sharing amount for emergency care. If your bill appears to violate these protections, we can identify this in your review.
What Is an ER Facility Fee?
Most emergency room bills contain two separate charges: a facility fee (for the room, equipment, and nursing staff) and a professional fee (for the physician's time). Many patients are surprised to receive two separate bills. Understanding this dual-billing structure is key to spotting overcharges. Learn more on our ER facility fee guide.
How to Get an Itemized ER Bill
You have a legal right to an itemized medical bill. Contact your hospital's billing department and request both the itemized statement and the UB-04 claim form. Under federal law (HIPAA), hospitals must provide your records within 30 days. See our full guide on how to request an itemized medical bill.
Understanding ER Billing Codes (CPT Codes 99281–99285)
Emergency room visits are billed using CPT evaluation and management codes 99281 through 99285, representing five levels of care complexity. Level 5 (99285) is the highest and most expensive. Upcoding to a higher level than the visit actually warranted is the single most common billing error on ER statements. Learn more on our ER billing codes page.