HealthLeaders 2025 webinars highlighted pivotal shifts in revenue cycle management, demonstrating how leaders are moving from reactive to proactive strategy through AI adoption, enhanced patient engagement, and cross-departmental collaboration.
Whether addressing prior authorizations or denials, success now requires breaking down silos between revenue cycle, clinical teams, legal departments, and even payers.
This past year, the HealthLeaders revenue cycle community gathered for a series of webinars that tackling industry’s most pressing challenges. From the practical application of artificial intelligence to the nuances of patient financial engagement, these discussions provide a roadmap for leaders looking to gain a winning edge.
Here is a look back at the key insights and strategies shared by executives from top health systems across the country.
3 RCM Strategies to Improve Denials Management
Denials remain a top pain point, but leading organizations are finding ways to prevent them before they occur. Beth Carlson of WVU Medicine shared how her team uses data and cross-functional collaboration to conduct root cause analyses and create feedback loops that reduce denial volume.
Key Strategies for Improving Patient Engagement
Revenue cycle leaders from ProMedica and University Health Kansas City discussed how self-service tools and automated workflows in the frontend help to maintain trust among patients. By implementing tools like online scheduling and modern payment options, these systems also improved pre-service collections and reduced eligibility denials.
Communication Strategies Help to Overcome Prior Authorization Tech Hurdles
Technology is essential for managing prior authorizations, but it is not a silver bullet. Experts from Ochsner Health and Northwell Health emphasized that interoperability gaps often require a human touch. They highlighted the importance of maintaining open lines of communication with payers and establishing dedicated contacts to navigate complex cases that technology alone cannot resolve.
How Rev Cycle Leaders are Mastering Pre-Service Payments and Estimate Accuracy
With patient financial responsibility rising, securing payments upfront has become a priority. Leaders from UW Health, INTEGRIS Health, and Moffitt Cancer Center shared strategies for creating accurate cost estimates and successfully implementing pre-service collection policies. Panelists agreed that transparent conversations early in the patient journey reduce bad debt and improve the overall financial experience.
The Rev Cycle Playbook for Technology Investment
Investing in new technology requires more than just an ROI calculation; it demands a strategy for change management. Executives from Kaleida Health and UNC Health discussed the importance of "soft" benefits, such as staff satisfaction, and the need for robust governance structures. Their advice? Put strategy before software and use peer-led programs to ensure successful adoption.
Show and Tell: AI Gives Revenue Cycle Leaders a Chance to Make Healthcare Better
AI is opening doors for revenue cycle leaders to impact the broader enterprise. Stephen Rinaldi of UNC Health detailed how AI is being used for everything from reviewing payer contracts to forecasting cash flow. The discussion highlighted how AI tools can elevate the revenue cycle team’s role, allowing them to partner more effectively with clinical operations to improve care pathways and reimbursement.
Revenue Cycle Leaders Share Practical Applications for AI
Leaders from Moffitt Cancer Center and Beth Israel Lahey Health shared tangible results from their AI implementations. Moffitt, for example, used AI to drastically reduce the cost of appealing medical necessity denials, recovering $500,000 in revenue. The session underscored that AI is not about replacing staff, but upskilling them to handle more complex, high-value work.
Luke Gale is the revenue cycle editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
HealthLeaders 2025 webinars highlighted pivotal shifts in revenue cycle management, demonstrating how leaders are moving from reactive to proactive strategy through AI adoption, enhanced patient engagement, and cross-departmental collaboration.
While a lot of hype continues to surround AI, revenue cycle leaders are discovering practical applications that improve margins.
Strategies to improve pre-service collections, accurate estimates, and self-scheduling are proving critical for maintaining revenue and reducing denials.