What is the difference between medical professional and medical facility expenses? What should labs and tests fall under as well as small procedures done in office?

[user154857]

I am trying to figure out how to differentiate where I should put my medical professional expenses and medical facility expenses. I have had a number of x-rays, CT's and labs, as well as small procedures such as a mole being removed in a dermatology appointment. I also had a prescription mouth piece made at a TMJ specialist's office. Where do all of these expenses fall?

[BillM223]

First, I want to say that if you put all the medical expenses into one bucket and called it "Miscellaneous", it would make no difference to the dollar amount of your return (long-term care premiums being an exception).

So I don't want you to agonize too much over which category to use. The different categories are probably used by the IRS for statistical reporting.

So here are your general categories:

• Prescriptions
• Medical professionals (doctors, dentists, physician assistants, etc.)
• Medical facilities (hospitals, clinics, nursing homes that provide medical care, etc.)
• Lab tests (x-rays, blood tests, EKGs, glucose tests, etc.)
• Long-term care services
• Vision expenses
• Medical supplies (typically at home, like oxygen, crutches, etc.)
• Medical travel
• Insurance premiums (out-of-pocket or after-tax only)
• Other

You say, 

• "x-rays, CT's and labs" - these are "Lab tests" above
• " mole being removed in a dermatology appointment" - this was probably all billed by the dermatologist, so "Medical professionals"
• "prescription mouth piece made at a TMJ specialist's office" - again, this was probably all billed by the TMJ specialist, so "Medical professionals"

The lesson is: if they break the bills out (like the hospital bills separately from the physicians and often the lab tests), then you can put the expenses into their respective categories. Otherwise, if it's all in one bill, just put it all under the highest category (in your cases, likely the medical professional overseeing it all).

Make sense?