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Catch a duplicate charge on an itemized ER bill

  • For Parents and households
  • You practice Keeping the AI to your sources
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

Your son's ER visit bill seems high, so you asked for the itemized version. Get exactly 3 numbered lines in plain text, under 70 words: 1. the charge that appears twice, with its code and amount; 2. what the balance would be without the duplicate, with the subtraction shown; 3. one question for the hospital billing office, starting "Ask:". Don't judge whether any care was needed. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Getting a bill tour. The AI explains every line and code instead of finding the one problem. Try: Say: "Line 1: the charge that appears twice, with code and amount."
  • No math shown. The AI says you might owe less without saying how much. Try: Add: "Line 2: $760 - [duplicate] = [new balance]."
  • Second-guessing the care. The AI picks up your mom's comment and questions the visit level, which it can't judge. Try: Add: "Don't judge the care. Line 3: Ask: one question about the duplicate."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for "under 70 words" and it often lands well over. Try: Cap each part: "each line under 16 words."
  • Leaving the format to the AI. The AI adds a title, bold labels and sub-bullets, which turns a quick note into a page. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, no headings, no intro."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Looks for the duplicate
  • Asks for the math
  • Asks for a question
  • Sets the number of lines
  • Sets a word limit

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