The Albany Gazette - Patient.com Launches to End "Patient Flustration," Inviting Providers to Help Patients Cut Through Healthcare's Red Tape

MOBILE, AL / ACCESS Newswire / July 22, 2026 / Patient.com today announced the launch of its patient-controlled healthcare navigation platform, designed to reduce the confusion, paperwork and financial uncertainty that define modern healthcare and help patients navigate their healthcare administration journey with greater clarity, confidence and control.

The timing reflects a healthcare system under growing strain. Sixty-five percent of Americans say managing healthcare is overwhelming and time-consuming, while nearly three-quarters believe the healthcare system is failing to meet their needs [AAPA]. Most concerning, 47% of US adults are worried they won't be able to afford healthcare in 2026 - the highest level recorded since West Health and Gallup began tracking the question.

Though healthcare organizations have spent years investing in digital transformation, many patients still struggle to understand what care will cost, what their insurance covers, whether they qualify for financial assistance and what steps they need to take before and after receiving care. Patient.com defines this disconnect as "flustration" - frustration combined with overwhelm when navigating healthcare administration. The company addresses this challenge by creating a single, patient-controlled experience that helps individuals navigate the administrative side of healthcare while enabling providers to better support them throughout their healthcare journey.

"Healthcare doesn't have an information problem, it has a navigation problem," said Dan Johnson, CEO at Patient.com. "Patients are expected to navigate benefits, eligibility requirements, affordability programs, provider networks, paperwork and administrative processes that often exist across disconnected systems. What adds to the flustration are the countless hours spent on message boards, endless holds and countless portals. When patients are confused, everyone loses. Care gets delayed, trust erodes and providers spend more time helping patients navigate complexity than focusing on care. We built Patient.com to solve that problem."

Unlike traditional healthcare technology platforms that are owned by providers, payers or employers, Patient.com operates as an independent, patient-controlled platform. Through consent-based data sharing, the platform brings together information that traditionally exists across disconnected systems, helping patients better understand coverage, costs, eligibility requirements, financial assistance opportunities and administrative next steps.

For healthcare organizations, the result is a more informed, prepared and confident patient population. Patient.com is currently working with partnering healthcare organizations to evaluate how improved patient navigation can enhance patient satisfaction, streamline administrative processes and create more connected healthcare experiences. Springhill Medical Center, an early partner of Patient.com, believes patient navigation will become an increasingly important component of healthcare delivery.

"Patient.com was an easy yes for us because we knew it was the right thing for our patients," said Sharon Barnicle, vice president of revenue cycle at Springhill Medical Center. "We also knew registration was a broken model that needed resolution, so embracing this technology made sense. By capturing better data up front, we've streamlined the revenue cycle process, while our teams spend less time going back to correct insurance and demographic information - helping create cleaner claims and faster payment turnaround."

Trust is foundational to the platform. Patients control their information, determine how it is shared and decide which organizations can access it. To help protect that information, Patient.com has integrated identity verification from ID.me, the identity network used by federal and state agencies - including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services - to verify more than 150 million Americans. The integration adds another layer of security to Patient.com's consent-based model, ensuring patients can securely access and manage their information while maintaining control over how it is used.

Patient.com was founded by a team of healthcare, technology and consumer experience leaders with decades of experience building some of the industry's most widely used administrative and engagement platforms. CEO Dan Johnson founded SearchAmerica and is a former executive at Experian Health. Over the course of his career, he helped develop technologies used by thousands of hospitals, physician groups, payers and pharmacies to streamline healthcare administration and improve the flow of patient and payment information. Julie Doleman, COO, is a globally recognized consumer and digital executive who helped scale Experian's consumer business into a billion-dollar enterprise and led expansion across international markets, bringing deep expertise in consumer engagement, trust and digital experience design.

"The team behind Patient.com has spent decades helping healthcare organizations improve operational efficiency," said Doleman. "Our platform represents the next step: helping patients better understand and navigate the system itself. We believe the future of healthcare belongs to organizations that put patients at the center of their ecosystem by partnering with brands like Patient.com that allow patients to engage, understand their options and move forward with confidence."

Consumers will soon be able to create their free account on Patient.com. Healthcare organizations interested in learning more about Patient.com partnership opportunities can visit www.patient.com.

About Patient.com

Patient.com helps patients navigate the administrative side of healthcare before and after care. Recognized as the first independent, patient-controlled platform of its kind, Patient.com helps individuals understand their insurance benefits, estimate costs, identify financial assistance opportunities and explore affordable care options in one trusted place.Built to eliminate "flustration" - the frustration and overwhelm that comes from the complexities of modern healthcare administration - Patient.com uses consent-based data sharing and personalized experiences to help patients navigate healthcare with greater clarity, confidence and control. Patient.com is focused on making healthcare administration simpler, more transparent and easier to understand. To learn more, visit https://patient.com/.

Contact

Songue PR for Patient.com
[email protected]

SOURCE: Patient.com

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(A.Moore--TAG)