No Surprises Act
Simple by design


Project Name
Consumer web app
Role
UX Designer
Content Writer
Date
01/15/2022
Overview
Under the No Surprises Act, out-of-network providers cannot send patients a balance bill for emergency treatment or for out-of-network care provided at an in-network hospital. Instead, the patient can only be charged their regular in-network cost-sharing amounts. This project focused on the consumer or patient persona, not the medical providers.
Problem statement
Despite seeking emergency care at in-network hospitals, between 20% to 25% of patients are unexpectedly treated by out-of-network emergency-room physicians, leading to surprise medical bills and increased financial burden. This disconnect between hospital network status and physician network participation highlights a critical gap in healthcare transparency and coordination, undermining patient trust and potentially discouraging timely access to emergency services.
Goal
Design a landing page with guidance for consumers to both inform users and empower them to take action, such as understanding their rights, and reporting surprise bills.


User research
I conducted user interviews to help define user needs and better understand frustrations and pain points from consumers (patients) which revealed very distinct user experiences.
As interviews wrapped up, I transitioned into creating an affinity map and plotted interview feedback that helped inform design and content decisions going forward.
Takeaways
Prices for medical care are generally opaque and can vary between states, so consumers wanted to know where they could find resources specific to their needs
Legal and insurance terms (like “in-network,” “emergency services,” “balance billing”) are hard to understand.
Consumers were hesitant to file a complaint without knowing costs and timing upfront
Most used a mobile device to file complaints so the dispute form itself had to be short
Document uploads had to be considered as part of the mobile experience
Many consumers don’t have access to itemized bills or explanations of benefits (EOBs). If they do, the paperwork is confusing and full of codes they don’t understand.




“Initiating a medical dispute is kind of scary. I want to understand upfront what the process entails so I can decide if I qualify
or not, how much it will cost
me, and if I want to proceed.”
Design & UX


Education page
Explains the issue in plain language
Surprise bill report form
Allow patients to report unexpected changes and get help
Homepage
Raise awareness and direct users to key actions
Know your rights page
Help users understand federal/state protections
Achievements
16 unique page designs
User-centric approach
Information hierarchy & plain language
Rapid prototyping for faster design iterations
Training and outreach documents
Recommended future design enhancements