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

A grieving family used an AI chatbot to reduce their hospital bill from $195,000 to $33,000 by identifying duplicative charges, improper coding, and other billing violations. The family, who had lost their loved one and faced a staggering medical bill, turned to AI for help. The chatbot, named Claude, analyzed the charges and discovered that the hospital had billed for both a master procedure and its components, shaving off around $100,000 in charges. Additionally, the chatbot identified improper use of inpatient vs emergency codes and regulatory violations. The family used the chatbot's analysis to dispute the bill and draft correspondence, ultimately reducing the bill significantly. The family believes that no one should pay more out of pocket than Medicare would pay and encourages others to challenge excessive medical billing.