Suggestions for Improving Patient Billing Clarity

by | Aug 17, 2024 | business

Scenario
You work as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at a large hospital. You receive a phone call from your grandmother, who has received a bill from her healthcare provider after a recent stay at your hospital. She is having difficulty understanding the bill, and you agree to meet her to help her interpret the bill. To your surprise, you also find the bill difficult to decipher. You even called the hospital hoping for clarification, but that didnt really help.
While you and your grandmother were eventually able to figure out how much she owed and when it was due, you are still bothered by this experience. With your knowledge of visual perceptionas well as your understanding of how culture, emotion, and cognition play a vital role in our interpretation of our visual experiencesyou decide to contact the Billing Supervisor about it. You realize the importance of the feedback you want to provide, so instead of simply hoping to remember everything to say in an impromptu meeting, you decide to write down your thoughts in a detailed email with recommendations on how they can create a bill that even your grandmother could understand.
Instructions
First, search the web for an example of a confusing bill. You can search terms such as confusing hospital bill, confusing clinic bill, or confusing medical bill. It doesnt need to be a real bill, i.e., it can be a template. But, it must be a bill that you think needs improvement in how its laid out.
Then, draft an email using Microsoft Word. The email is directed to the healthcare provider on ways they might improve their bill using the following specific concepts:
Visual Organization
Connectivity
Aesthetics
It might be difficult to find a bill that needs improvement for all three of the bulleted items. For example, you might find a bill that has good visual organization and connectivity, but the aesthetics could be improved. Or, you might find a bill that has good aesthetics, but the visual organization and connectivity need improving. Whatever bill you use for this assignment, make sure you explain in detail why its good or bad according to the bulleted items.

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

 

Subject: Suggestions for Improving Patient Billing Clarity

Dear [Billing Supervisor’s Name],

I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to share some insights and recommendations regarding the patient billing process at our hospital. Recently, I assisted my grandmother with her medical bill after her stay, and despite my background as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, I found the bill quite challenging to interpret. This experience prompted me to reflect on how we can enhance the clarity and accessibility of our billing statements for all patients, especially the elderly who may face additional barriers in understanding complex documents.

Example of a Confusing Bill

I came across a sample medical bill that exemplifies many of the issues patients face (attached for your reference). While it contains vital information, its layout could be significantly improved in terms of visual organization, connectivity, and aesthetics. Below, I outline specific aspects of the bill that warrant attention.

Visual Organization

The current design of the bill lacks a clear hierarchy of information. Important details such as the total amount owed, due date, and payment options are not prominently displayed. A well-organized bill should present this critical information at the top in a larger font and bold text to ensure it catches the reader’s eye immediately. For instance:

– Total Amount Due: $X
– Due Date: MM/DD/YYYY

Additionally, grouping charges by categories (e.g., room fees, medications, tests) with distinct sections could help patients quickly find relevant information. Using bullet points or tables to present costs would also enhance readability.

Connectivity

The bill currently feels disjointed, with little connection between related items. It is essential to create a flow that guides the reader through the document. For example, if there are questions regarding specific charges, including a section with FAQs or contact information for billing inquiries directly beneath the respective charges would enhance connectivity. This way, patients can easily find answers to common questions or identify where to seek help without flipping through pages.

Aesthetics

Lastly, the overall aesthetic appeal of the bill could be improved. A clean and modern design with consistent use of colors and fonts would make the document visually appealing. Avoiding overly technical jargon and instead using plain language can also contribute to a more approachable document. Consider incorporating white space strategically; this helps to reduce clutter and allows important information to breathe, making it less overwhelming for patients reading through their bills.

Conclusion

Ultimately, improving these aspects of our billing statements can lead to better patient experiences and satisfaction. By making the bills more user-friendly, we not only assist our patients in understanding their financial obligations but also reinforce our commitment to transparency and care.

Thank you for considering these suggestions. I believe that with some adjustments, we can significantly enhance the clarity of our billing statements and better serve our patient population. I would be happy to discuss this further or assist in any way possible.

Warm regards,

[Your Name]
Clinical Nurse Specialist
[Your Contact Information]
[Your Hospital Name]

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