2025 Plain Language Report Card: Medical Communications
Each year, the Center for Plain Language evaluates how clearly organizations communicate information that affects people’s lives. For more than a decade, we published the Federal Report Card, grading U.S. agencies on their compliance with the 2010 Plain Writing Act.
Starting in 2025, the Federal Report Card becomes The Report Card. Each year, we’ll focus on a new sector that touches people’s daily lives — from health care to local government to technology.
This year’s focus: medical communications.
Why medical communications?
Nearly 40% of people in the U.S. say their medical communications are too confusing to understand. Given the importance of personal and financial health, that number is far too high. Through The Report Card, we’ll spotlight which organizations make medical communications clear — and where confusion still gets in the way.
How The Report Card Works
- Annual theme – Each year, we choose one sector that affects people’s daily lives.
- Member submissions – Members can submit examples from that sector — whether clear and helpful or confusing and difficult.
- Judging panel – A team of judges reviews the submissions and grades them on clarity of both language and design.
Submit Your Medical Communications
We’re now accepting submissions of medical communications through October 19, 2025.
You can submit:
- A bill from your medical provider
- A statement from your insurance provider, such as an explanation of benefits or prior authorization letter
- Any other medical communication, such as pre-operative procedures or other direction to you as a patient
Who can submit
Any Center for Plain Language member.
Please note: submissions must be U.S. medical communications, in English.
How to submit
- Redact personal information— black out your name, address, account numbers, payment amount, and anything else you don’t want shared.
- Save the bill as a PDF, PNG, or JPEG.
- Click on the button below.
Not a member?
Become a memberBe a Judge
Are you a member and interested in serving on the judging panel? Email us at info@centerforplainlanguage.org with the subject line
Report Card Judge Application and include your name.
Apply to Be a JudgeResults Coming Soon
We’ll release the 2025 Report Card by the end of January 2026. Check back to see which organizations are making medical communications clearer — and where improvements are still needed.