Nearly 40% of Americans struggle to understand their medical bills, a recent survey showed. But the respondents also shared a few ways providers and insurers could step in to make bills less confusing.
The survey was released Friday by AKASA, an AI developer for healthcare operations. It was conducted online in March by YouGov and included responses from 2,026 U.S. adults.
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When asked what they were most frustrated about when it came to medical bills, 29% of respondents said not being able to understand what they’re being billed for. Additionally, 27% said not being sure if they could pay the bill, 24% said not getting the bill until weeks after they received the healthcare service and 20% said not being sure if the final bill will be the same as what was estimated by the provider.
“These results show that medical billing is still a black box to patients,” said Amy Raymond, vice president of revenue cycle operations, in the report. “The onus is on healthcare organizations — both providers and insurers — to make medical billing less painful for patients, who may fear going into debt and avoid seeking out care.”
How can providers and insurers help? Survey respondents shared several ways:
- About 27% said it would be beneficial to receive a call from the physician’s office or hospital staff before the medical procedure, explaining terms of payments and the payment plans available.
- Another 12% said they’d like an online calculator that can show cost ranges for procedures.
- About 11% said it would be helpful to receive an email from their insurer that walks through the bill after they receive care.
- About 9% said they’d like the payer to call and walk them through the bill.
- Another 9% said they want access to live online customer service through their health plan’s website.
- Additionally, 8% want a call from the physician’s office or hospital staff that explains the bill after receiving services.
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A strategy for healthcare leaders when it comes to medical billing is automating certain processes so revenue cycle specialists have more time to work with patients, Raymond said.
“Automation makes it possible to take a lot of the tedious work off the plates of revenue cycle specialists, freeing them up to become patient advocates,” Raymond said. “For example, automating authorization status frees them up to help with initiating an authorization in a more timely manner while also preventing appointments from getting canceled. Staff can also take on more patient-facing activities like financial counseling to deliver a better experience overall.”
Photo: KLH49, Getty Images
