One 2018 done by , a non-partisan research organization, found that 57 percent of respondents had received a bill they thought would be covered by their insurance provider.

Being hit with a surprise bill can be financially devastating and cause great anxiety, says Bari Talente, executive vice president of advocacy at the .

But heres the good news: You can prevent many unexpected medical bills just by taking a few extra steps before your appointments. Here are some simple strategies patient advocates and insurance experts recommend.

1. Study up!

Every January, your health insurance shares a giant package full of details about your plan. The font may be small, and the language dense, but experts agree: Readingand absorbingthis information is a must.

The best-case scenario is that you do not have any medical emergencies. But plan ahead, just in case. If something does go wrong, you wont have time to log on to your insurers website or call them to discover which hospitals are covered.

When you have some free time, look into which nearby hospitals are covered by your health insurance, recommends Talente. Spend a few minutes to review your coverage for ambulance services, too. A recent study published in , found that 85 percent of ambulance usage resulted in an out-of-network bill.

In an emergency, the most important thing is to get the care you need. But in non-life threatening situations (maybe you need transportation from one hospital to another), you can ask if its possible to get an ambulance service thats covered by your insurance.

7. Document, document, document.

A simple phone call can help answer a lot of important questions: Is this procedure covered? Is this doctor in-network? What is the insurance plans preferred lab? But even after you get answers and confirmation, theres one further step that experts recommend taking: Get it all in writing.

Whether its a conversation with a patient advocate, the doctors billing department, or a patient representative, always ask to have the information sent over in writing, says Dreher. This way, you can dispute any charge that doesnt seem right.