accurate billing

When a Splinter Becomes Surgery: The Stories Behind the Bills and How We Can Fix Them?

Let me tell you a story about Ryan, a dad from Austin, Texas. One sunny day, his preschooler had a tiny splinter lodged in her palm. She wasn’t complaining, but the doctor casually removed it with tweezers during a routine checkup. A quick flick—done in seconds. Imagine Ryan’s shock when he received a $414 bill labeled as “surgery.” Ryan was baffled. “There was no scalpel, no operating room. Just tweezers!” he said. But when he questioned the office manager, he