Medical Paperwork SyndromeAfter his father died last year and his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Jay Brown and his three siblings began handling their mother's medical paperwork.They soon became overwhelmed.Koren Shadmi"We're smart people, but were just unable to sort through the bills," says Mr. Brown, a 58-year-old home builder in Keller, Texas. The last straw came this spring, when the insurer refused to pay a $1,600 ambulance bill.He turned for help to Becky Stephenson, one of a growing group of claims-assistance professionals who, for about $75 to $120 an hour, sift through paperwork, track claims, decipher what needs to be paid, uncover mistakes and appeal claims denials.Most claims advisers have health-care backgrounds as well as experience in medical billing at hospitals and doctors' offices. Ms. Stephenson, a registered nurse with an M.B.A., ran physicians' offices for a large hospital organization and performed audits for insurance companies before starting her Austin, Texas-based business, VersaClaim, a decade ago.....
