High school seniors create AI chatbot that understands medical bills
A group of high school seniors in Nebraska has created a new AI chatbot that aims to educate users on the American healthcare system, especially the economics that drive care delivery.
The tool, called MedFinanceAI, is the result of months of work from Pavan Athota, Anthony Le and Wesley Chen, all of whom attend Millard North High School in Omaha. The group unveiled the innovation at an event in Brazil.
The chatbot, which is designed to be conversational much like ChatGPT, is built on open source code and can display text in English or Spanish. The teens said they thought the tool would be useful for immigrants who may have trouble understanding their care options, particularly during an emergency.
For now, the AI’s knowledge base is limited to Omaha, as community data is all that’s been loaded into the system. Questions it can answer range from where to seek treatment to understanding the costs associated with a medical bill.
The students said they hope the AI can be rolled out into more cities and speak more languages as time goes on.
Building the AI was inspired by personal experiences in dealing with surprise bills. In speaking to KETV, Chen said an ER visit left him and his family confused by a $600 bill, given that Chen was covered by medical insurance.
For more, watch KETV’s interview at the link below.
Chad is an award-winning writer and editor with over 15 years of experience working in media. He has a decade-long professional background in healthcare, working as a writer and in public relations.