Last summer, a man faced a hefty hospital bill after his brother-in-law suffered a heart attack. The emergency care for just four hours cost a staggering $195,628. His sister-in-law was prepared to handle the bill, but he suggested she hold off for a moment. Instead, he sought itemized invoices complete with CPT codes—a common billing system used in healthcare—and input all this information into Claude, an AI chatbot.
To his surprise, Claude quickly identified various issues: duplicate charges, incorrect classifications of inpatient services for someone who hadn’t been admitted, bills marked between 500% to 2,300% higher than Medicare rates, and even charges for procedures that had never taken place. He cross-checked with ChatGPT, and both AIs provided similar feedback. In the end, he composed a six-page letter detailing all the discrepancies.
The result? The hospital slashed the bill down to $33,000—a remarkable 83% reduction—achieved without any medical training, just a $20 application.
Your bill may have errors as well
It sounds extreme, but it’s not really that unusual.
According to Medical Billing Advocates of America, a troubling three out of four medical bills contain mistakes. The average hospital bill exceeds $10,000 and holds about $1,300 in errors. Interestingly, less than 1% of denied claims are contested. It seems hospitals and insurers rely on the assumption that people won’t question their billing.
AI changes that scenario completely. You don’t need any specialized knowledge of CPT codes; you just need to copy and paste your bill.
A quick audit in five minutes
Step 1: Contact your provider and ask for a detailed itemized bill that includes your CPT codes. This should be a thorough, line-by-line breakdown. You have the legal right to request it.
Step 2: Open ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, or Gemini—any free version will do—and paste your itemized bill.
Instruct the AI: “Please describe all charges in simple terms. Flag any duplicate or questionable charges. Compare each charge to average costs. Identify any errors with billing codes or bundling issues. Also, draft a letter I can send to the billing department.”
Step 3: Insert your invoice. The AI will analyze each line, pinpointing what’s wrong.
Case in point, a woman shares how an AI helped her find cancer that doctors overlooked.
Step 4: If the AI spots any errors (which is quite likely), have it call the billing department and request to speak with a supervisor, referring to specific codes. Generally, hospitals are more willing to resolve issues when patients arrive equipped with the right information.
Pro tip: Consider using Counterforce Health, a free AI tool designed specifically for handling insurance denial claims—definitely worth keeping in mind.
Now is the time to scrutinize your medical costs. AI could be a game-changer for you.
Real story. Everyone’s abuzz about AI, but practical applications often go unmentioned. With my free newsletter, Splash of AI, I share one trick or tool each week to help you navigate everyday tasks. It’s concise—it’ll take you only five minutes—and aims to save you time or money, or both. You’ll find yourself wondering how you ever managed without it.
Pass this along to anyone who’s staring at an incomprehensible medical bill. It might save them a significant amount, and it takes less time than brewing coffee.
