University of Vermont Medical Center has begun rolling out newly designed medical bills.
The new bills highlight only what is owed, how to pay, and who to call for help. Patients will begin receiving them early this month.
Jeremy Beaudry, lead healthcare experience designer for the UVM Medical Group, said the goal was to make it less confusing for patients to receive a bill.
Beaudry said it had been decades since the hospital's bills were revamped.
"One thing we heard from patients as we started to review existing, previous bills with them is they had a hard time identifying even where the amount due was," he said.
Beaudry's team spent six months conducting ethographic research to design the new bills.
"Sometimes," he said, "it's a matter of just walking up to the hospital and asking people on the fly, 'Hey, do you have a few minutes? Can you take a look at something and give us some feedback?'"
