As healthcare finance leaders put together to assemble for the upcoming HFMA Annual Conference, they face a well-recognized however intensified set of challenges: shrinking margins, rising operational prices, and an more and more advanced reimbursement panorama. This 12 months, nevertheless, a dominant theme emerges from the dialog: the position of Synthetic Intelligence in revolutionizing the income cycle. We requested six healthcare executives for insights on what key themes/traits they anticipate to be probably the most talked at this 12 months’s HFMA Annual Convention.
Ryne Natzke, TrustCommerce, a Sphere firm that gives monetary applied sciences to the nation’s largest well being programs
The HMFA Annual Convention is a good alternative to attach with our companions and be taught extra about the place the RCM trade goes. AI is bringing ahead loads of modifications, each with merchandise and processes, and I’m wanting ahead to seeing the methods the place it continues to get utilized to assist enhance the affected person monetary expertise.
Michelle Durbin, Supervisor, Resolution Administration for Ventus, Altera Digital Well being
I believe that AI will likely be one of many predominant matters of curiosity once more this 12 months, as most healthcare organizations need to use AI and robotic course of automation (RPA), however many nonetheless aren’t certain the way to begin to maximize their ROI. Within the income cycle world, denials are skyrocketing. Organizations ought to leverage these applied sciences to rapidly rework denials as soon as acquired and even predict and stop denials outright. Analysis means that as much as 65% of denials are by no means resubmitted, which interprets to misplaced income and missed alternatives to put money into affected person care and course of enhancements. On the flip aspect, the usage of AI opens new prospects for safety threats. Healthcare leaders should do their due diligence to reduce these dangers whereas maximizing effectivity and accuracy within the income cycle by way of AI and RPA.
Anurag Mehta, CEO & Co-Founder, Omega Healthcare
As healthcare leaders convene for the upcoming HFMA Annual Convention, I anticipate AI [AI, GenAI, Agentic AI] to be within the highlight as a robust engine that’s revolutionizing income cycle administration (RCM). In a current Everest Group examine, an awesome majority (85%) of senior healthcare executives surveyed imagine AI will considerably enhance efficiencies in RCM operations over the subsequent 5 years. We’re wanting ahead to assembly with healthcare leaders to debate how we will help them leverage AI-enabled options to boost operational and monetary efficiency.
Frank Forte, CEO, EnableComp
At this 12 months’s HFMA, hospital and well being system leaders aren’t simply searching for fast fixes — they’re searching for clear solutions on the way to navigate a reimbursement panorama that’s solely getting extra advanced. Conventional RCM methods can’t sustain. Executives need to know the way to adapt, the place to speculate, and which companions can carry the analytics, regulatory perception, and automation wanted to thrive. The reply lies in collaboration. With the appropriate strategic partnerships, organizations can scale back denials, improve money move, and set up a extra resilient income cycle.
Ralph Keiser, CEO, ArcheHealth
This will likely be my first HFMA convention in just a few years, however I’m certain that monetary leaders are nonetheless going through lots of the similar ongoing challenges round rising prices and diminishing reimbursements. With the emergence of AI-based options, I anticipate loads of discussions about methods organizations can deploy applied sciences that spotlight course of inefficiencies, allow proactive efficiency administration, scale back prices, and assist create sustainable margin progress.
Kevin Freeman, Chief Business Officer, Well being Catalyst
As we head into HFMA, I’m planning to listen to daring concepts and significant conversations about navigating a number of the hardest challenges we’re going through, together with shrinking margins, rising regulatory complexity, the looming impression of Medicaid cuts, and an exhausted workforce. Healthcare organizations are nonetheless grappling with all of this, usually with out the assets or technical infrastructure they want. Expectations are rising, and these organizations want assist to fulfill calls for head-on.
