A hospital bill already at $85,000 allegedly got even worse after a patient challenged it. The optics got even worse when the hospital appeared to use artificial intelligence tools to increase the amount the patient owed.
Here's what to know
In a TikTok video, a social worker who posts as Aaron the Social Worker (@aaronthesocialworker) said the hospital used AI to revisit the patient's visit, identified almost $20,000 in extra charges, and increased the revised total to $102,000.
@aaronthesocialworker Hospital uses AI to add $20k to bill #Aaronthesocialworker ♬ original sound - Aaron The Social Worker
The video centers on a call Aaron says he made about the updated bill. In his account, the patient challenged the original charges; the hospital reviewed the account again and said some charges had been left off the first bill.
Along with asking whether the added charges had been sent to insurance and processed, Aaron also demands specifics in the video: "OK, what charges? For what services and for what days."
After saying the hospital "did an AI sweep of her visit," Aaron adds: "The bill was already $85,000. Now the revised bill, it's driven it up to $102,000."
Reaction in the comments was critical, with many wondering if the practice was legal or constituted a "massive [HIPAA] violation."
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"If AI finds an additional 20k, someone did not do their job in the first place," a user weighed in.
More background
Aaron describes the situation as especially difficult because the patient already couldn't pay. During the call, he says the patient "already can't afford the bill" and questions why speaking up led to a response of: "Congratulations. Here's a larger financial bill."
Aaron also raises a broader concern: "Also, what is the ethics of using AI to sweep a patient's bill?"
Commenters on TikTok suggested this is far from being the old misuse of the tech.
"AI is in doctors offices," one declared. "It's been a nightmare."
Other commenters suggested the higher bill was "punishment" and an intentional deterrent to patients questioning high medical bills.
What can be done?
In the video, Aaron seeks more detailed accounting instead of simply accepting the new total. He asks what the added charges were tied to and which dates in the patient's care they covered.
He also presses for clarity on insurance, asking whether the hospital submitted those extra charges and whether that process was completed.
After being told the increase came from an AI sweep, he asks, "Is that a standard practice?"
He argues that patients should be able to question a hospital bill without fearing a higher price afterward: "Patients should not have to question a hospital bill without wondering whether the price is going to be, you know, jacked up after."
"We already can't afford medical care as it is," a TikTok viewer lamented. "We don't need AI adding more."
Where can I learn more?
Some of the same issues Aaron and viewers raised pervade AI's infiltration of the healthcare and insurance industries.
• In Congress, lawmakers pushed to stop AI claim denials after patients were reportedly left behind.
• Researchers found that very small words changed health chatbot answers in disturbing ways.
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