A key antitrust case against providers, plus the marriage of patient experience and AI
Nick Hut and Shawn Stack discuss the latest in healthcare finance news. Erika Grotto talks with Jonathan Wiik of FinThrive about how a great patient experience and AI can go together. Also in this episode, a fond farewell to Shawn as he departs the podcast and HFMA.
Ken Perez: AI, the healthcare industry’s private-sector-led revolution
With the advent of AI, many industry observers say the U.S. healthcare industry is standing at the brink of a sea change. As industrywide adoption of AI accelerates, now is a good time for the industry’s stakeholders to pause for a moment and take stock of what this new technology means for the healthcare system.…
David Johnson: The AI infrastructure advantage — Build it and consumers will come
As a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, West Africa, I witnessed the transformative power of connecting isolated rain-forest villages to road networks. Suddenly, never-before-seen goods and services appeared. Villagers could travel for education, work and pleasure. A road’s arrival was both exciting and disruptive. New opportunities emerged as old ways disappeared. Based on its traditional…
Gen AI is coming for medical bills: 3 ways to prepare
Patients are behind one of the latest applications of AI to the healthcare revenue cycle, and they are using it to review their bills. Stories of consumers using ChatGPT or other generative AI tools to trim thousands from their medical bills by questioning charges are appearing in the news and social media. YahooFinance wrote about…
How to optimize the revenue cycle workforce in 2026
In 2026, revenue cycle performance is inseparable from workforce design. Health systems are navigating sustained margin pressure, rising patient cost responsibility and escalating payer complexity — all while competing for limited domestic talent. Recent Kaufman Hall National Hospital Flash Reports continue to show margin volatility across U.S. hospitals, with labor costs and payer-related delays remaining…
From back office to balance sheet: Why revenue cycle is becoming strategic AI infrastructure
Healthcare finance leaders are confronting a new reality: Revenue cycle performance now directly influences organizational stability, capital planning and access to care. Rising denial rates, expanding prior authorization requirements and persistent staffing constraints have transformed revenue operations from a transactional function into a strategic enterprise capability. Recent reporting from Kaufman Hall shows denials and revenue…
Why AI is such a promising tool for eliminating a hospital’s revenue leakage
Hospitals today continue to experience revenue leakage, defined as the unintentional loss of income due to inefficiencies, missed billing opportunities and underpayments. Despite their significant investment in electronic health records (EHRs) and billing systems, they continue to lose about 3% to 5% of net revenue annually, amounting to tens of billions of dollars across the…
AI coding at UMass Memorial tempers staffing shortage
UMass Memorial Medical Center’s radiology department has been able to sidestep a lack of bill coding professionals by adopting AI in the medical center’s coding for radiology. “It’s really hard to get certified coders these days,” said Barbara Scully, associate vice president, physician billing with UMass Memorial, which is located in Worcester, Massachusetts. “It’s one…