A mobile flow that tells patients what a scan will actually cost them — before they book — and checks the bill afterwards.
This is a self-initiated concept. The product, organisations and data are fictional; the design problems are real.
Role
End-to-end product & content design
Type
Self-initiated concept
Platform
iOS / Android
Focus
Plain language, trust, progressive disclosure
Context
The problem and the bet
The problem
The same MRI can cost $400 or $1,200 depending on where you go, and insurance terms hide what you’ll owe. Most people book where they’re sent and find out the price weeks later.
The bet
If people see what they will pay — in their own numbers, before booking — they’ll choose lower-cost care and trust the result, as long as the estimate holds up.
How I’d validate it
Test comprehension of the estimate with 6–8 insured adults (“how much will you pay, and why?”), then compare estimates to real bills in a pilot.
Numbers refer to the chapters below. Most cost tools stop at the estimate. Clearcost follows through to the bill — which is what makes the estimate trustworthy.
01 · Get in
Scan, or type — never a form first
Get insurance details in without asking people to understand their card.
1
Fields highlighted as they’re read
People can see what was captured and check it before anything is saved — scanning feels verifiable, not magic.
2
Auto-capture with live progress
No shutter to time: the app captures when the card is readable and says what it’s doing.
Considered insteadA manual shutter — more control, more blurry photos.
3
Failure explained without blame
“Glare is common” and “about 30 seconds” set expectations and keep people moving.
4
Help where the question is asked
A mini card diagram shows where the member ID lives, instead of a help link.
02 · Understand
Coverage in plain language
Make deductible and coinsurance mean something to someone who’s never had to know.
1
Progress with real amounts
“$1,210 of $1,500” is easier to act on than a percentage or a term.
2
A translation, not a definition
“What this means for you” states consequences in the person’s own numbers.
3
Terms explained in context
Tapping any insurance term opens a sheet that reuses the person’s plan data.
Considered insteadA glossary page — accurate, but abstract.
4
The next question, one tap away
Related terms appear as chips so people go deeper only if they want to.
03 · Decide
Compare and estimate
Help people choose where to go by what they’ll pay.
1
“You pay” leads, total price follows
The personal number is large; the negotiated price is secondary. That’s the order people decide in.
Considered insteadSorting by distance — the map default, but cost is the question.
2
Caveats where they apply
A hospital facility fee is flagged on that card, not in a footnote.
3
One bar shows who pays what
Deductible, coinsurance and insurer share in one stacked bar make the estimate checkable at a glance.
4
A promise attached to the estimate
A price lock turns an estimate into something people can rely on — and creates the bill check later.
04 · Prepare
Booked, and waiting
Reduce the anxiety between booking and the appointment.
1
Everything for the day in one card
Time, place, directions and calendar — the questions people have on the morning of the scan.
2
Open items stay visible
The pending prior authorization sits in the checklist and links to its tracker.
3
Waiting shown like a delivery
A step tracker with timestamps turns an invisible insurer process into visible progress.
4
A fallback promised in advance
Saying what happens if there’s no decision removes the biggest worry: losing the appointment.
05 · Follow through
After the visit, and when things go wrong
Keep the promise after the visit, and never leave people at a dead end.
1
The bill is checked against the estimate
Clearcost reads the bill when it arrives and explains any difference line by line.
2
We act on the promise
Above $50 of difference, the product starts the dispute and lets people pay only the undisputed part.
3
Bad news without blame
An ended plan is explained in plain words, with the likely reason.
Considered insteadA generic “coverage not found” error.
4
Never a dead end
A new card, self-pay prices or financial help — the person can still get care.
System
Rules behind the interface
Small, explicit rules keep a dense interface consistent as it grows.
Lead with “you pay”
Every price shown to a patient is their share first; totals and insurer amounts come second.
You pay $444
Numbers before terms
Insurance words appear only next to the number they describe, and are always tappable.
$290 left of your deductible
Say what happens next
Every waiting state and every error ends with the next step and who takes it.
We’ll text you right away
Outcome
Measuring it, and what’s next
As a concept, this has no live numbers — so here is what I would measure and test first.
How I’d measure success
Scan-to-estimate completion rate
Correct answer to “how much will you pay?” in testing
Estimate accuracy vs final bill (± $50)
Bookings at lower-cost in-network facilities
What I’d test next
Stacked bar vs line-item list for comprehension
Does showing the total price change facility choice?
