SPREAD THE WORD: My Chatbot Will Help Beat Bogus Medical Bills
The one-of-a-kind tool helped Noel save $577 when he used it on his call with the billing department.
Noel didn’t know what to do when he received a bogus medical bill.
But then he found my medical billing chatbot, which helped him save $577.
Noel, a college professor and father of two, had sticker shock when he saw the bill for his nasal swab flu test. The $626 price tag amounted to more than he had paid for his first car!
Desperate for help, he went online and found my interview on the All The Hacks podcast. Then he called the billing department and decided to put my advice into action. During the call, he pulled up my website: marshallallen.com, and noticed the awesome new tool that I’m announcing today: my medical billing chatbot.
If you go to my homepage you’ll see a chatbot icon that says, “Let’s make sure your medical bill is accurate and fair!” Click on it, and you’ll see that I’ve built my chatbot to include the strategies of my book, Never Pay the First Bill, and my videos, The Never Pay Pathway. It’s a handy guide, right at your fingertips when you need it most, so you can make sure your medical bills are accurate and fairly priced. This is a first-of-its-kind tool to defeat bogus medical bills!
Noel kept two dialogues going at once. While he chatted with the billing department, he engaged with the chatbot. He quickly saw how it could help him negotiate a better deal, even right there in the moment.
Noel expressed dismay at the price tag for the flu test and the billing representative offered him a 20% discount. The dance was on. But the modest discount would only bring the price down to $500. That’s still ridiculous for a flu test.
Noel asked her if she could talk to her supervisor about getting him a better deal, and she came back at $250. She cut it in half! That’s better – but still outrageous for a flu test.
Here’s the big question when you’re negotiating a bogus bill: what is a fair price for a flu test? While Noel chatted with the billing representative and waited on hold, he read my chatbot’s advice. The first step, the chatbot explains, is to get an itemized bill – with the billing codes.
“Can I get the billing code for the test?” Noel asked the billing rep.
“87637,” the rep said.
My chatbot showed Noel the websites where he could see the prices near him for the billing code 87637: “Infectious agent detection by nucleic acid (DNA or RNA).”
He landed on Billy, a site that scrapes prices from hospital websites which I’ve written about here. He plugged the billing code into Billy, and it pulled up a snazzy map that showed the prices offered for the same test at hospitals near him. (I’m not identifying Noel or the billing entity in this story at his request.)
When billing rep came back from another consultation with her supervisor she seemed open to making a deal.
“How much would you like to pay?” she asked Noel.
(As an aside, this whole scenario highlights the absurdity of health care billing. My friend Dr. Marty Makary compares the process of negotiating a medical bill to the haggling at an Egyptian bazaar - and that’s the back-and-forth that Noel had going here.)
Now, guided by my chatbot and empowered by Billy, Noel had power to negotiate.
“I’m looking at this website here and it says there’s a hospital near here that does the test for $147,” Noel said to the billing rep.
“OK, we can do $147,” she replied.
Then Noel saw a different facility on the Billy map that offered the flu test for $49.
“How about $49?” he said.
The billing rep consulted her supervisor, and they agreed to $49.
Done.
BAM - that’s a 92% discount!
Noel enjoyed the thrill of victory, but felt stunned. He could have easily been ripped off if he hadn’t found my chatbot. “If I hadn’t known better,” he said, “I would have paid the full amount.”
He also felt terrible for others who would be in the same situation and get overcharged for something so simple. He has two children, ages 5 and 2, and saving $577 is a significant boost to his monthly budget. That’s money that could go toward groceries, childcare or a college fund, he said.
“While I am disgusted by the predatory practices, I’m grateful for your assistance,” Noel said to me. “I was shocked at how useful your chatbot was to provide real time support!”
I love it! I created the chatbot for Noel and the 200 million other working Americans that are in his situation.
Now I need your help to get the word out.
Take action
Please try my chatbot and tell me what you think about it via the assessment.
Let’s embed my chatbot on your site, so your employees can be empowered. If you're an employer, broker, TPA or someone else who wants to help your clients – contact me at neverpay@marshallallen.com and let’s make it happen.
Share my chatbot with others. Let’s get my chatbot into the hands of every patient, so everyone can be empowered to stand up to bogus medical bills.
** Special thanks to Daniel Hill for the assistance with the chatbot! **
Employers: equip your workers with The Never Pay Pathway video curriculum
I’m looking for bold employers to equip their employees with my Never Pay Pathway health literacy videos. They’re based on my book, Never Pay the First Bill, and the knowledge will transform the way your employees engage the health care system.
The videos are an ENGAGING resource that will save money for your employees, their families - and your health plan. Let’s stop overpaying for our health care, shall we? Email me at neverpay@marshallallen.com for more information.
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