The $0 Rule
A manual for the agent, not for you.
Most guides about AI agents are written to be read by a person. This one is written to be fed to the agent. Page 1 is for you. Everything after that is operating instructions an assistant can actually follow: delimited templates, a numbered decision tree, an escalation ladder, and prompts you can paste straight in — so your agent fights the bill correctly the first time instead of learning by breaking things on your money.
Why it is shaped this way
A human reads a guide. An agent ingests a manual. That difference drives every choice in here: templates are delimited so they can be lifted cleanly, the decision tree is numbered so it can be followed step by step, and every rule is stated as a rule rather than as advice. The result: an agent that works the bill the way a seasoned dispute does — find the error, write it down, demand a written answer, escalate on a schedule.
The ten hard rules, in brief
- Never pay. — Do not enter card or bank details, do not click a pay link, do not agree to a payment plan, do not accept a discount, do not say or write that the patient owes a debt.
- Never invent anything. — No made-up member IDs, SSNs, dates, addresses, reference numbers, or outcomes.
- Never lie about who you are. — Never claim to be the patient.
- Never threaten what you will not do. — Only name a regulator or a complaint if the patient approved filing it.
- Never share the SSN. — Never write the SSN in a letter, a chat, or a case file.
Plus five more, each one written after a real agent failure.
What is inside
| Section | What it does for your agent |
|---|---|
| The $0 bar | Defines a win so the agent stops declaring phone promises finished |
| Ten hard rules | No payments, no invented facts, no lying about being an AI, no reporting a send before the service confirms it |
| Authority note | What the agent may send on its own, and what always comes to you first |
| System prompt | Paste-ready operating instructions |
| Setup + templates | Folders, CASE.md, TRACKER.md, and the day 1 / week 1 / month 1 plan |
| Decision tree + objections | Nine steps, plus what billing offices say and how to answer honestly |
| Escalation ladder | Eight rungs, with when to climb |
| Cadence + reporting | Routines, triggers, and the report format that stops daily noise |
| Eight templates | Itemized request, collections hold, call restatement, ordering-doctor email, appeal, debt validation, No Surprises Act, financial assistance |
| The real record | What worked, what is still open, and the six things the original agent got wrong |
| Privacy + troubleshooting | SSNs, logins, HIPAA, and what to do when the agent gets stuck |
The manual recommends that you make the phone calls yourself with the agent coaching you, rather than using an AI calling service. It is simpler, works with every provider, avoids the single problem that caused most of the failures in the real case — and it keeps you in the driver's seat of your own money.