Sources & methodology

How we research and write what you read here — and the limits of it.

How we write code explanations

Billing code numbers are public facts; our explanations are written in our own words, in plain language for non-experts. We do not reproduce the American Medical Association's copyrighted CPT® code descriptions. Each explanation is checked against multiple public billing references before publishing.

Cost ranges

The dollar ranges shown are rough, illustrative estimates of typical billed amounts — not quotes. What you actually owe depends on your insurance and the negotiated rate, and is frequently far lower than the billed charge. We plan to ground these ranges in public Medicare fee-schedule data over time.

Billing-error patterns

The issues we surface — duplicate charges, unbundling, upcoding, facility-versus-professional splits, and preventive visits billed as problem visits — are widely documented billing patterns. We frame them as questions to ask the billing office, not as legal conclusions or accusations.

The AI decoder

The bill decoder uses a large language model that can also read photos and PDFs directly. It can make mistakes, misread a blurry photo, or misjudge an unusual bill. Treat its output as a starting point, not a verdict, and verify everything against your Explanation of Benefits.

References we rely on

For the public facts behind these pages we draw on the CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (procedure pricing), the CMS HCPCS code set, the CMS National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits (which define improper unbundling), the federal No Surprises Act protections, and the CFPB's medical-billing guidance. Code numbering follows the AMA's CPT® system; we do not reproduce its descriptor text.

Trademarks & affiliation

CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. We are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the AMA, CMS, or any insurer or provider.