By: Greg Oppman, Senior Product Designer
At Zotec Partners, we spend a lot of time thinking about the patient experience, especially during moments for them that are stressful, confusing, or unexpected.
Medical billing is rarely something people look forward to dealing with. Patients may already be navigating health concerns, financial stress, or uncertainty about what services they received and why they’re receiving multiple bills afterward. As a product team, we wanted to better understand those experiences directly from patients themselves rather than making assumptions from behind a screen.
That’s what led us to conduct a large-scale patient research study. We approached this as more than just a survey. In January, we sent a 26-question survey to 100,000 patients who had interacted with Zotec billing in 2025. More than 1,400 patients completed the survey, and from there, we conducted in-depth one-on-one interviews to better understand not only what patients were experiencing, but why.
The quantitative survey gave us measurable trends, while the interviews helped us uncover the emotional and behavioral context behind those responses. We wanted to understand frustrations, concerns, motivations, and the different ways people approach medical billing depending on their life situations, financial background, family role, or healthcare experiences.
What emerged from that research were distinct patient “personas” or groups that represent common behaviors and needs among patients interacting with medical bills. Here are some of the key characteristics we found among these groups of patients:
Understanding those differences allows us to create more personalized and empathetic experiences rather than treating every patient interaction exactly the same.
For Zotec, this research is foundational. These personas now help inform how we design products, structure communication, and improve workflows across the patient journey. When we develop new features or enhance existing ones, we can evaluate which patient groups will benefit most and how we can reduce friction for them.
One of the clearest findings from the study was that patients “verify first and pay second.” Patients consistently told us they want more clarity around line items, provider details, and contextual information related to their encounter before they feel comfortable making payments. That feedback is already helping guide future enhancements to statements, communication touchpoints, and digital experiences.
Ultimately, improving the patient experience also benefits our clients.
At the end of the billing journey, patients often perceive Zotec as an extension of the provider organization itself. When communication feels clear, supportive, and easy to navigate, it reflects positively on the provider’s brand and reputation. By reducing confusion and friction, we can help improve patient satisfaction while also decreasing inbound support calls and administrative burden for our clients.
This work is really about bringing empathy into the billing experience. We’re working in healthcare, and healthcare is deeply human. The more we understand the people receiving the bills, the better we can support them—and the better experience we can help create for Zotec’s clients and their patients alike.
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Greg Oppman, Senior Product Designer, contributes to the Zotec product team and assists with design and research, focusing on making a consistent and predictable experience for consumers and internal Zotec team members.
