Post: Frustrated by medical bills and phone trees? AI might help

The Dec. 4 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shocking and reprehensible.

Yet, what came to the fore in the wake of Thompson’s death were numerous stories about the obstacles patients face when trying to access health care in the U.S. Amid the blame game , experts are calling for a health system overhaul . But we are missing a window of opportunity to address the very real barriers patients face at every step of care, costing them significant time and money.

One major challenge patients encounter is finding a health care provider. Too often, online provider directories are out-of-date . Patients must call multiple providers to figure out who accepts their insurance and is in or out of network. Rural residents, especially if on Medicaid, find themselves traveling far to find a provider. I understand this frustration all too well.

In 2021, my primary care provider left my town of 25,000 people, leaving me to travel to the next town to find an in-network provider. This year, that PCP shuttered their clinic, forcing me to go to the next town over from that site. Consolidation in the health care industry is partly driving these clinic closures.

A second major challenge is making an appointment with a provider. Wait times run about three weeks on average and vary widely for specialists across the country. For immediate needs, patients go to urgent care centers or emergency departments, which can be costly. In October, my husband made an appointment to see his PCP in December, only for that provider to close their office in the interim. No one followed up to reschedule.

The bill is a third and arguably biggest challenge. Despite federal efforts to increase price transparency and reduce surprise bills , patients are frequently unaware of the costs of their care until an Explanation of Benefits arrives in the mail — long after a visit. Typical reactions to EOBs are confusion and sometimes shock if services are denied, do not align with what was received or cost more than anticipated. I received two separate EOBs in 2022, each saying I owed about $1,000 […]

Frustrated by medical bills and phone trees? AI might help