Compellis User's Guide

Complete user's guide for Compellis — covers scanning EOBs, understanding denials, deadlines and reminders, building a case, appeal letters, medical bill checks, and more.

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Version 1.0 | iOS 18+

Welcome to Compellis!

Compellis reads your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) or itemized medical bill, explains any denials in plain English, shows the laws that protect you, tracks your appeal deadlines, and drafts appeal letters — all on your iPhone. Nothing you scan ever leaves your device.

Getting Started

First Launch

The first time you open Compellis, a welcome screen asks one question: What state do you live in? Insurance rules and appeal deadlines differ by state, so this helps the app show you the right laws and deadlines.

If you allow location access, the app detects your state automatically and shows Detected: with your state name. Your location is used once, on your device, and only your state choice is kept.
You can always pick your state by hand with the wheel picker instead — states are listed by their two-letter abbreviations.
Tap Get Started to continue. You can change your state later in Settings.

As the welcome screen says: your data stays on your device — Compellis never sees your medical information.

The Home Screen

Compellis has two tabs at the bottom of the screen:

Home — The starting point, with two big buttons: Scan EOB and Check a Medical Bill.
My Files — Everything you’ve saved: your cases, previous scans, and previous bills, plus buttons to start a new case or import documents.

The gear icon in the top corner opens Settings from either tab.

Scanning or importing a document takes over the screen while Compellis analyzes it and shows your results. Tap Done on any results screen to return to the tabs. Cases open from the My Files tab and build up a timeline of everything you add to them.

A note before you begin: Compellis provides educational information about insurance processes and consumer rights. It is not legal or medical advice, and every legal citation in the app comes from published statutes, regulations, and agency guidance. For advice about your specific situation, consult an attorney.

Scanning an EOB

An EOB (Explanation of Benefits) is the statement your insurance company sends after processing a claim. It’s not a bill — it shows what the provider charged, what insurance paid, what you owe, and whether anything was denied.

Scanning with the Camera

On the Home tab, tap Scan EOB.
The document camera opens. Position the EOB in the frame — the camera detects the page edges automatically.
Capture the page and tap Save.
Compellis shows Analyzing your document… while it reads the page and looks up any denial codes. This takes a few seconds.

If your EOB is more than one page, scan the page with the claim details and denial codes — Compellis analyzes the first captured page.

Importing a Photo or File

You can also analyze an EOB you already have digitally, from the My Files tab:

Choose from Photos — Pick an EOB photo or screenshot from your photo library.
Import File — Pick a PDF, PNG, or JPEG from the Files app (including iCloud Drive).

PDFs with real text (like one downloaded from your insurer’s website) are read directly, which is the most accurate option. Scanned or image-only PDFs are read with text recognition, up to 20 pages. Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened — remove the password first.

Understanding Your Results

After analysis, the Your EOB Results screen explains what Compellis found.

The Summary

At the top, a summary card says either Issues Found (orange) or All Clear (green), with a plain-English recap. Below it, Cost Summary shows three numbers: Total Billed, Insurance Paid, and You Owe. If a denial has a dollar amount, it appears in red as Denied.

If the claim was processed without problems, you’ll see No denials found and you’re done — though it’s still worth checking the Service Details at the bottom against what actually happened at your visit.

Denial Cards

Each denial gets its own expandable card explaining:

What it means — The denial reason in everyday language, with the claim adjustment code (like “Code: CO-50”) it came from.
Win rate — When data is available, the share of appeals that succeed for this type of denial, plus your state’s average. Most people never appeal; most who do, win.
Your Legal Rights — The laws that apply to this denial for your state and plan type. Tap a law to expand a plain-language summary, then tap Read the actual law to open the statute or regulation itself.
Key Appeal Arguments — The strongest points to make in an appeal, marked by strength.
Deadlines — The time limits that apply to this denial.

What To Do Next

A numbered list of concrete steps, in order, tailored to what was denied.

State Protections

If your state has relevant consumer protections, a card named after your state summarizes them, with a strength badge (like Strong or Very Strong):

External Review — Your state’s window for requesting an independent review and how fast a decision must come.
File a Complaint — A link to your state insurance commissioner’s complaint page.
Call Recording — Whether your state requires all-party consent before recording calls with your insurer, or lets you record without notice.
Bad Faith Claims Available — Whether your state allows bad-faith lawsuits against insurers, and what damages are possible. (Note: this doesn’t apply to self-funded employer plans, which follow federal ERISA rules instead.)
Prompt Payment — How quickly your state requires clean claims to be paid.

Saving and Next Steps

Every scan is saved automatically to My Files > Previous Scans. At the bottom of the results screen:

Create Case from This Scan — Start a case with this scan already attached (see Building Your Case).
Add to Existing Case — Link this scan to a case you already have.
Scan Another EOB — Go straight back to the camera.
Done — Return to the home screen.

Deadlines and Reminders

Appeal deadlines are strict — miss one and you can lose the right to appeal entirely. When you create a case from a denial, Compellis computes your deadlines from the denial date, your plan type, and your state:

File internal appeal — Your window to ask the insurer to reconsider (often 180 days for employer plans).
File external review — Your window to request an independent review after the internal appeal (often 4 months under federal rules; some states allow less, and Compellis uses whichever applies to your plan).
For Medicare Advantage plans, two more levels: File IRE appeal (Level 2) and Request ALJ hearing (Level 3).

Each deadline shows its due date, days remaining, and the legal citation it comes from. Countdowns are color-coded from green (more than 30 days) through yellow and orange down to red (less than 7 days). A missed deadline shows a red EXPIRED badge.

Reminders

When you create a case with deadlines, the final step offers an Enable Reminders button. If you allow notifications, Compellis reminds you 30, 14, 7, and 2 days before each deadline you’re responsible for. Reminders are local notifications scheduled on your phone — no server involved. Marking a case Resolved cancels its remaining reminders.

Building Your Case

A case is a container for one insurance fight: the scans, notes, phone calls, letters, and deadlines that go with it, in one timeline.

Creating a Case

On the My Files tab, tap New Case (or tap Create Case from This Scan on a results screen).
Answer What’s going on? — choose Got a denial letter, Already had a procedure, or Planning a procedure.
Answer How do you get your insurance? — Through your job, Bought it myself (marketplace), Medicare, or Medicaid. Different insurance types have different rules; you can Skip if unsure.
If you chose “Through your job,” the app asks you to check the back of your insurance card for the words “self-funded,” “self-insured,” or “ASO.” This one detail changes which appeal rules protect you. Answer I see those words, I don’t see them, or I’m not sure.
If you got a denial, pick the date on the denial letter — deadlines start from this date. Use your best guess if unsure.
Name the case (like “MRI Denial - May 2026”), review the Your Deadlines summary, optionally tap Enable Reminders, and tap Create Case.

If you’re planning a procedure, the last step also has optional fields for a pre-auth number and its expiration date.

Case Status

Every case has a status, shown as a colored pill at the top of the case screen:

Status	Meaning
Pre-Auth	Waiting on prior authorization
Claim Filed	Care received, claim submitted
Denied	The insurer denied the claim
Appealing	Internal appeal in progress
External Review	Independent review in progress
Resolved	The fight is over

Tap the status pill (or use Change Status in the add menu) to update it as your situation changes. Status changes are recorded in the timeline, and the app’s guidance updates to match.

The Timeline

The case screen shows everything in chronological order: notes, documents, linked scans, phone calls, status changes, and deadlines, each with a color-coded dot. Tap an attachment to view it (PDFs, photos, and letters open right in the app, with a share button). Tap View Scan on a linked scan to reopen its full results.

Adding to a Case

Tap the Add button at the bottom of a case for the full menu:

Add Note — Free-form text. Write down anything: what the doctor’s office said, what you mailed, what you’re waiting on.
Log a Call — See Logging Phone Calls below.
Take Photo / Choose from Photos / Import File — Attach denial letters, receipts, doctor’s notes, or anything else (PDF, PNG, or JPEG).
Link Previous Scan — Attach an EOB you scanned earlier.
Draft Appeal Letter / Draft External Review — See Appeal Letters below.
Escalation Roadmap — See The Escalation Roadmap below.
Change Status — Update the case status.

Logging Phone Calls

Every call with your insurer matters — what they told you, who said it, and the reference number that proves the call happened.

In a case, tap Add > Log a Call.
Set When you called (defaults to now).
Optionally record the name of the person you spoke with and the phone number you called.
Enter the reference or confirmation number — ask for this before you hang up; it’s how the insurer tracks the call and what they told you.
Describe what was said (this is the only required field) and tap Save.

The call appears in your timeline with the reference number displayed so you can copy it later.

What to Expect

Each case shows a What to expect card with guidance matched to your status and plan type — how long the insurer has to respond, what to save, what usually happens next, and what to do if things go wrong. It updates as you change the case status.

Denial Patterns

If the same insurer keeps denying you, Compellis notices. A Denial Pattern Detected card appears when your cases show repeated denials from the same insurer — especially the same denial code. Repeated denials of the same type are a recognized pattern, and documenting that history strengthens your appeal.

Appeal Letters

Compellis drafts your appeal paperwork from what it already knows — your scan, your case, and your saved details — so you start from a nearly finished letter instead of a blank page.

Drafting a Letter

In a case, tap Draft Appeal Letter (the button becomes Draft External Review once your case reaches that stage).
A form opens, pre-filled with everything Compellis could pull from the linked scan, the case, and your saved details. Fill in the rest — anything you leave blank shows up in the letter as a [BRACKET] to complete by hand, so you can never accidentally send a half-empty letter without noticing.
Tap Create Letter to see the full text. It’s editable — adjust anything you like.
Share it as a PDF with the share button, or tap Save to Case to attach the PDF to your timeline.

Your work is saved automatically as you type. If you close the form and come back later, your draft is right where you left it.

The letter form includes a Save my details for next time toggle (on by default). Your name, date of birth, member ID, doctor, and diagnosis are saved in an encrypted store on this device and auto-filled into future letters. You can manage or clear them anytime in Settings > My Details.

Letter Types

Compellis can draft five kinds of letters. The first two are always available from a case; the rest appear on the Escalation Roadmap when they apply to your plan type:

Letter	What it does
Appeal Letter	Asks your insurer to reconsider the denial (internal appeal) — includes your argument, appeal points, and supporting law citations seeded from the knowledge base
External Review	Requests an independent review by an outside organization after the internal appeal fails
State Complaint	Formal complaint to your state’s Department of Insurance
DOL Complaint	Complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor (EBSA), which enforces appeal rights for employer plans
Medicare Complaint	Reports a Medicare Advantage plan to Medicare (CMS)

What Each Letter Asks For

Every form is pre-filled where possible; the rest is organized into short sections. Nothing is mandatory — blanks become [BRACKETS] in the letter.

Appeal Letter

Patient — full name, date of birth, member ID and group number (from your insurance card)
Your doctor — name, specialty, credentials (e.g. MD)
Diagnosis — in plain words, plus ICD-10 code(s) if known
The denial — the reason they gave, what was denied, CPT procedure code(s) if known, any plan rule they cited, claim number, date(s) of care, date on the denial letter
The insurer — company, appeals mailing address (from your denial letter), plan name
Why it should be covered — your argument, pre-seeded with the strongest appeal points for your denial type
Supporting laws & guidelines — citations, pre-seeded from the laws that apply
Documents you’re including — one per line

External Review

Patient and Your doctor — as above
The denial — insurer, plan, claim number, dates, what was denied, why (in your own words), and the date they denied your internal appeal
External review — the review organization (your state insurance department’s website lists it), why this should go to external review, your medical situation in plain words, and why it’s urgent (leave blank if it isn’t)
Supporting evidence — documents you’re including

State Complaint

You — name, date of birth, member ID, mailing address, phone, email
The insurer — company, NAIC number if known, plan name, policy and group numbers
The claim — claim number, dates, what was denied, denial letter date
Your state regulator — Department of Insurance name and mailing address
What the insurer did wrong — what they did, when, and the state law they broke if known
Timeline — what happened, in order (pre-built from your case timeline)
What you want — what you’re asking them to do

DOL Complaint

Same shape as the State Complaint, but the regulator section is replaced by Your employer’s plan — employer name, plan name, plan administrator name and address, plan EIN and plan number if known, and the insurance company or claims administrator. The violation section asks for the ERISA rules they broke, if known.

Medicare Complaint

Same shape again, for Medicare Advantage: your Medicare number, the plan name and contract number (H#) if known, the claim or authorization number, and the Medicare rules the plan broke, if known.

For the strongest appeal, attach a letter of medical necessity from your doctor — the form’s “Documents you’re including” section is the place to list it.

Every letter ends with the same reminder the app shows you: review carefully before sending. It’s a draft, not legal advice.

The Escalation Roadmap

A denial isn’t the end. The Escalation Roadmap (from the case screen) shows every step you can take, in order — each one a fresh chance to get the decision reversed:

File an internal appeal — Ask your insurance company to look at the denial again.
Request an external review — An independent reviewer, not your insurer, takes a fresh look.
Complain to a regulator — Which regulator depends on your insurance: your state’s Department of Insurance, the U.S. Department of Labor for employer plans, or Medicare (CMS) for Medicare Advantage plans. The roadmap shows only the ones that apply to you — for example, self-funded employer plans are federally regulated, so the state-commissioner step won’t appear for them.
Talk to an attorney — If the system still won’t budge. Compellis can’t refer you to a lawyer, but many offer free consultations and some take insurance cases on contingency (no upfront cost).

Your current position is marked with a You’re here badge; completed steps show a green check. Steps show how long the other side has to respond when the rules set a deadline. Each step (except the attorney) has a Draft this letter button that opens the matching pre-filled letter form.

Set your case’s plan type during intake to get steps tailored to your coverage.

Checking a Medical Bill

A medical bill from a hospital or provider is a different document than your insurer’s EOB — and it’s worth checking before you pay it.

Starting a Bill Check

On the Home tab, tap Check a Medical Bill.
Choose Take a Photo, Choose from Photos, or Import a File.
Compellis reads the itemized charges and checks them for common problems.

For the most useful check, use an itemized bill (one that lists each charge on its own line). If the hospital only sent you a summary, Compellis can draft a letter demanding the itemized version — see below.

What Compellis Looks For

The Your Bill Review screen summarizes what was found — Worth a closer look or Nothing obvious found — followed by a card for each issue:

Possible duplicate charges — The same charge appearing more than once for the same date. You should not be billed twice for one service.
Bill is higher than your EOB — The bill asks for more than your insurer says you owe: a likely balance bill.
Surprise-bill protection — Emergency care, or an out-of-network provider at an in-network facility. The federal No Surprises Act usually limits you to your normal in-network share for this kind of bill.
Financial assistance — If the bill is from a nonprofit hospital, federal law requires it to offer financial assistance that can lower or erase your bill. Most patients never ask — and you can usually apply even after you get the bill.

Each card explains the issue in plain language, points to the exact charges involved, lists numbered steps under What you can do, and cites the law behind it.

Comparing Against Your EOB

A bill check works on its own, but it gets stronger with your EOB. If you’ve scanned the matching EOB, tap Compare against a scanned EOB and pick it. Compellis puts Bill asks next to EOB says you owe — if the bill is higher, it tells you by exactly how much.

Bill Letters

Under Take action, two letters can be drafted straight from the bill review — no case needed:

Request a fully itemized bill — Demands a complete line-by-line bill from the provider before you pay anything.
Dispute a charge — Formally disputes specific charges, with your list of what’s wrong and what you believe you actually owe.

Both work like appeal letters: pre-filled form, blanks become [BRACKETS], editable preview, share as PDF.

Bill reviews are saved automatically to My Files > Previous Bills.

My Files

The My Files tab is your archive. At the top: New Case, Choose from Photos, and Import File (the import buttons analyze the document as an EOB). Below, up to three sections:

My Cases — Every case, with a colored status dot and when it was last updated.
Previous Scans — Every EOB you’ve analyzed. An orange warning triangle means denials were found; a green check means the claim was clean. Touch and hold a scan for Add to Case.
Previous Bills — Every bill review, marked the same way.

Swipe left on any item to delete it. Deleting always asks for confirmation, and deleting a case never deletes the scans linked to it. Deletions are permanent — there’s no undo, so keep backups (see below).

When it’s time to bring in someone else — a family member, an advocate, or a lawyer — you don’t have to explain everything from memory. Tap the share button at the top of any case to export a Case Summary PDF containing your patient information, the case overview, claim details, every deadline and its status, your state-specific rights, and the full timeline of everything that happened.

Backup and Restore

Compellis stores everything on your iPhone, so backups are your safety net if the phone is lost or replaced.

Creating a Backup

Tap the gear icon to open Settings.
Tap Back Up Data.
Choose where to save the backup file — iCloud Drive, the Files app, or any storage provider.

The backup is a single encrypted file containing all your scans, bills, cases, attachments, and saved details. The encryption key lives in your iCloud Keychain, so backups can only be opened by you, on your devices. Settings shows the date of your last backup.

Restoring

In Settings, tap Restore from Backup.
Pick your backup file.
Compellis confirms how many scans and cases were restored.

Restoring is safe to repeat — importing the same backup twice won’t create duplicates.

Settings

Open Settings with the gear icon on either tab:

Your State — The state whose insurance laws and deadlines apply to you. Change it if you move.
My Details — Your reusable letter details: patient information (name, date of birth, member ID, group number, mailing address, phone, email), your doctor (name, specialty, credentials), and your diagnosis (plain words plus ICD-10 codes if known). Everything here is stored encrypted on this device and auto-filled into appeal and complaint letters so you don’t retype it. Clear Saved Details permanently deletes it all.
Back Up Data / Restore from Backup — See Backup and Restore above.
Version and the app’s legal disclaimer.

Tips and Best Practices

Import PDFs when you can. A PDF downloaded from your insurer’s website reads perfectly every time; photos depend on lighting and focus.
Scan in good light, phone flat above the page. Shadows and angles are the main cause of misread codes.
Create a case the moment you get a denial. Deadlines start from the denial date whether or not you’re tracking them — let the app count the days for you.
Check the back of your insurance card early. The words “self-funded,” “self-insured,” or “ASO” change which laws protect you and who you complain to.
Get a reference number on every insurer call, before you hang up. It’s the difference between “they told me it was covered” and proof.
Don’t pay bills for denied services while your appeal is pending. Get the appeal decided first.
Never pay a hospital bill that isn’t itemized. Request the itemized version first — Compellis drafts that letter for you.
Ask nonprofit hospitals about financial assistance. They’re required to offer it, most patients never ask, and you can usually apply even after you get the bill.
Fill in My Details once. Every future letter starts pre-filled.
Back up after every major addition. New case, new letter, big scan session — export a fresh backup.

Troubleshooting

The Scan Missed Something or Read It Wrong

Retake the photo in good light, holding the phone flat above the page
Move closer so the claim lines fill the frame
Import a PDF copy if your insurer offers one — it’s the most reliable source

A PDF Won’t Import

Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened — remove the password and try again
PDFs longer than 20 pages aren’t supported — export just the claim pages
If the PDF has no readable text and the pages are blurry scans, try a clearer copy

No Denial Was Found, But I Know the Claim Was Denied

Some EOBs put denial codes on a later page — scan the page with the claim lines and remark codes
Check the Service Details section of your results against the original document

My State Wasn’t Detected

Location detection fails silently if location access is denied — just pick your state with the picker
You can change your state anytime in Settings > Your State

Reminders Aren’t Appearing

Reminders are offered when you create a case with deadlines — check that you tapped Enable Reminders and allowed notifications
Check iOS Settings > Notifications > Compellis
Reminders for a case are canceled when it’s marked Resolved

Restore Failed

Make sure you selected a .compellis backup file created by this app
Backups are tied to your iCloud Keychain — restore on a device signed in to the same Apple ID

Privacy and Security

Everything is processed and stored on your iPhone — scans, cases, letters, and details never leave your device
No account, no sign-up, no servers, no analytics, no ads
The app makes no network connections; the only “online” moments are ones you choose, like opening a law’s webpage or saving a backup to iCloud Drive
Location, if you allow it, is used once to suggest your state — only the state name is kept
Stored data is protected by iOS data protection (encrypted at rest)
Your saved letter details are additionally encrypted, with the key in your iCloud Keychain
Backups are encrypted end to end — only your devices can open them
Deleting the app deletes your data; export a backup first