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PATIENT FAIRNESS IN THE NEWS

Matt Ungs, founder of Patient Fairness, said he regularly receives calls from Floridians outraged by hospital bills exceeding six figures. “(Hospitals) are relying on people to shrug and pay the bill, but the more people who push back, the more likely hospitals will change their conduct,” said Ungs, whose company disputes medical bills for clients.

“Patients need to stick up for themselves,” he said. “Don’t give hospitals a pass because they are using complex billing systems that they choose to use.”

He recommends writing a letter to the hospital, and continuing to write to the hospital until you get a result.

“Perseverance is a big factor in success with this,” he said. “Patients have to stick with it. Those who do tend to get action.”

The challenges faced by Californians are not unique, but they are magnified by the state’s enormous and diverse population. Despite being home to some of the nation’s top healthcare institutions, California ranks 10th in the country for the highest average hospital charge levels—an astounding 506% of what it actually costs hospitals to provide the services. “That means that for every $100 it costs a hospital to render a service, it bills $506, of which $406 is profit,” Ungs explains.

How Patient Fairness is Using Technology to Challenge Medical Billing Injustice

"Through a blend of custom software, strategic use of AI, and deep industry insight, the platform helps patients push back against unfair charges and challenge the high costs too often passed onto them."

Make Money by Negotiating Your Medical Expenses

Matt Ungs, founder of Patient Fairness, joins the Travis Makes Money podcast to discuss his groundbreaking approach to empowering patients in the fight against unfair medical bills. With nearly 30 years of experience managing provider networks for major health insurance companies, Matt brings insider knowledge to help consumers challenge unjust charges and navigate the complexities of healthcare billing. His platform, Patient Fairness, is revolutionizing how Americans deal with surprise bills and overcharges.

Empowering Women to Fight Unfair Medical Bills with

Patient Fairness

Patient Fairness equips patients with the tools and knowledge to dispute bills themselves, ensuring they are negotiating from a position of strength. This is particularly important for women, who often feel powerless when dealing with medical billing departments and insurance companies. Many patients are unaware that they have the right to challenge a bill, and even when they do, they may lack the confidence to do so effectively. By providing structured support, Patient Fairness helps women take control of their financial well-being.

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes Matthew Ungs, founder and creator of Patient Fairness, to discuss helping individuals lower or eliminate unfair medical bills.

“Patients need to realize they are consumers. The hospitals, the physicians, are sellers. Both seller and buyer have a role in a transaction, and one doesn’t take precedent over the other. If there wasn’t a meeting of the minds, and [prices and other terms] weren’t disclosed [by the provider to patient in advance], don’t let the provider just dictate to you what’s going to happen [with the medical bill].”

Patient Fairness:

A Revolutionary Platform Leveraging Technology to Fight Unfair Medical Bills

“Simply asking a provider to negotiate a lower price is not likely to achieve the best outcome for a patient. We help the patient dispute the bill, and then provide guidance, tools, and insights for the patient to decide what outcome is fair for the dispute, and how to achieve that outcome.”

Patient Fairness Leads the Charge Against Unfair Medical Billing

"Patient Fairness is focused on helping our customers to get fair treatment in medical billing by offering tools, guidance, and support to patients to dispute problem medical bills so to reduce or eliminate what is owed.

Patients are consumers, but many providers treat them like piggy banks from which they can extract money through medical bills without getting patients’ advance agreement on specific services and prices."

Making Healthcare Billing More Fair for Patients in Tennessee and Beyond

"Ungs sees [Patient Fairness] as more than just a business; it’s a movement toward giving patients a voice. Patient Fairness was created to assist people in evaluating and disputing medical bills when they seem unjust. Patients are encouraged to question their bills and challenge what doesn’t seem fair."

Billing Backlash:

How Americans are Fighting Unfair Medical Charges

"With the help of services like Patient Fairness ... patients have an easier path to advocate for fair treatment... When patients stand up against inflated or incorrect charges, it sends a strong message to providers about the importance of billing integrity."

Patient Fairness:

Empowering Texas Patients to Fight Unfair Medical Bills

Patient Fairness

Founder Matt Ungs Shares How to

Lower or Eliminate Medical Bills

Making The Healthcare System Fair Again!

Patient Fairness:

Empowering Patients and Reforming Healthcare

US Business Company Spotlight:

Matthew Ungs and Patient Fairness

Disrupting Healthcare Billing: How Patient Fairness is Changing the Business of Medical Costs

MEDICAL BILLING NEWS

Keep abreast of news and information on medical billing and its impact on patients and consumers.

Current Month

Patients still facing surprise medical bills

- KXLY

Committee hears bill to bar ambulance balance billing, set insurer payments at up to 400% of Medicare

The House Human Services Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 1322, a proposal to change how insurers pay ground ambulance providers and to prohibit balance billing of patients.

- Citizen Portal

Doctor Tripped Up by $64K Bill for Ankle Surgery and Hospital Stay

After a car accident about 20 miles from her home in Denver, Lauren Hughes was taken to Platte Valley Hospital, the closest emergency facility. The hospital billed her more than $60,000 for surgery on a broken ankle and an overnight inpatient stay, but her insurer, Anthem, wouldn’t cover the charges.

- KFF Health News

Oklahoma hospitals required to post prices beginning Nov. 1

Oklahoma’s hospitals will be required to post prices for procedures and services online beginning Saturday, Nov. 1, as part of a new law that could also prohibit them from collecting some outstanding medical debt.

- The Oklahoman

Grieving family uses AI chatbot to cut hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 — family says Claude highlighted duplicative charges, improper coding, and other violations

But the first step is getting the medical institution to properly break down all the items on the bill.

- Tom's Hardware

New Delaware law to exclude medical debt from credit reporting

- WBOC

Is it cheaper to pay for medical care without health insurance?

Hospitals or clinics may offer cash-only discounts to people who pay without insurance. But experts warn that health care isn't the place to bargain for the best deal.- NBC News

Ground Ambulances: The Last Gap in the No Surprises Act

Katie Moraida was just feet from the hospital when her baby decided it was time. Sitting in the front seat of her car, she gave birth as her husband pulled over in a panic. “She went like this, pop, he came shooting out,” her husband recalled. Paramedics soon arrived to carry Moraida and her newborn son the final few feet to the emergency department, an ambulance ride that lasted “not even a full minute.” For that service, the ambulance provider billed the new family $3,500.

- The Petrie-Flom Center

Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections

Nicole Silva, a preschool teacher who lives in Sanford, Colorado, had her wages garnished for an ambulance bill from when her daughter, Karla, needed urgent medical care. Colorado courts allow debt collectors to garnish people’s wages for unpaid medical bills in roughly 14,000 cases a year.

- KFF Health News

No Surprise: The Federal No Surprises Act Should Preempt State Common Law Claims For Out-of-Network Payment Disputes

It's a familiar story: A person suffers an accident or sudden illness and is rushed to the nearest emergency room. Weeks later, they receive a massive "surprise" medical bill because...

- Mondaq

As ChristianaCare’s profits rise, free care to the poor remains stagnant

Nonprofit hospitals, which don’t pay federal and state taxes, are supposed to provide free care to patients who can’t afford treatment. An analysis by Spotlight Delaware found the state’s hospitals only commit a fraction of their budgets to providing that care to patients, even as thousands of Delawareans find themselves saddled with medical debt.

- Spotlight Delaware

“High-markup” hospitals are overwhelmingly for-profit, located in large metropolitan areas and have the worst patient outcomes

Some investor-owned institutions charge up to 17 times the actual cost of care, compared with an average threefold markup at other hospitals

- UCLA Health

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MEDICAL BILLING NEWS