Balancing the use of AI in the patient billing process

Patient billing is a nuanced process that works most effectively when patients understand what they owe and why. However, there’s another critical component as well: Empathy and human connection. As healthcare providers continue to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) (and other technologies) in patient billing, they must strike a balance between automating tasks to streamline efficiency and maintaining empathy and trust in patient interactions. Understanding the impact of AI on medical billing is a great place to start.

The impact of AI on medical billing is significant, and the technology benefits medical practices in many ways, including: 

• Accelerates claims processing
• Decreases administrative burden (Note that 57% of physicians view addressing administrative burden through automation as the biggest area of opportunity for AI.)
• Detects fraud
• Improves the patient experience
• Promotes cost savings
• Reduces errors

However, empathy and human connection in patient billing are equally important for building trust, encouraging collaboration, fostering better long-term relationships with patients, and reducing shame and defensiveness. 

These four strategies help today’s medical practices and healthcare leaders achieve a balance between AI and human connection:

1. Clarify and humanize the role of AI in patient billing.

Identify specific workflows and tasks that AI can handle effectively. For example, AI can generate bills, verify insurance, send payment reminders, obtain prior authorization, and more. However, for patient-facing communications, be sure to personalize automated billing messages as much as possible and offer easy ways to contact a human, if needed.

2. Leverage human support for sensitive cases.

Does a patient owe a particularly high amount for services rendered? Did the insurance company deny a service? Does the patient need financial assistance, or are they confused by a medical bill? Any of these scenarios (and plenty of others) may require human intervention. The sooner AI can detect and flag appropriate scenarios—and refer them to trained staff members—the better.

However, this also means that staff must be ready and able to handle more complex cases. The impact of AI on billing is that it may necessitate the need for additional staff training in areas such as patient financial counseling, medical coding and billing validation and auditing, and empathic communication.

3. Be transparent about the use of AI in patient billing.

While there is no regulatory requirement to inform patients that the medical practice uses AI in patient billing, doing so can help build trust. Help patients understand the impact of AI on billing including how AI uses and processes personal and financial information to generate charges, validate coverage, and more. Also be sure to explain how the AI solution complies with regulations like HIPAA and identify any other privacy and security certifications the AI vendor has achieved to keep information safe. Proactively disclosing AI use builds trust and aligns with ethical standards that medical and professional organizations recommend. And of course, if patients have questions about the use of AI in patient billing, ensure staff are prepared to answer them.

4. Get feedback from patients.

Regularly gather patient feedback about the use of AI in patient billing to ensure the patient financial experience is respectful and clear. To do this, you can leverage a variety of tools, including: 

• Analyze inbound calls, chat transcripts, or support tickets to identify recurring billing complaints or questions and understand the impact of AI on billing
• Conduct brief interactive voice response or text-based surveys after patients speak with a billing agent
• Embed feedback buttons on digital bills to understand the impact of AI on medical billing
• Integrate feedback modules into patient portals
• Leverage bots to collect real-time feedback after billing-related chat sessions
• Use post-billing surveys that ask specific questions about the customer support experience to assess the impact of AI on billing

Looking ahead

As healthcare providers continue to tap into the power of AI in patient billing, they must remain cognizant of the importance of human touchpoints and interactions. Effective patient billing requires empathy, respectful dialogue, and nuanced communication. And while the positive impact of AI on billing is undeniable, human intervention is—and will always be—necessary for certain scenarios. A mindful approach to using AI in patient billing will help today’s medical practices strike the balance they need to be successful. Learn how Inbox Health can help.

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