Patient Access

Key takeaways: Many eligible patients don't apply for charity care simply because they don't know it's available, leading to financial strain for patients and providers. Improving charity care communication helps patients understand their options early, builds trust and reduces uncompensated care for providers. Automating financial assistance screening with tools like Patient Financial Clearance supports compassionate financial conversations and ensures more patients are connected to support at scale. Patients face difficult choices when the cost of care feels out of reach. Some hesitate to proceed with planned services due to affordability concerns, even though financial assistance may be available. For providers, Medicaid rollbacks under the budget reconciliation bill could leave more patients without coverage, increasing the volume of uncompensated care and making revenue less predictable. Charity care programs provide a financial safety net – but only if patients know about them. This article looks at how improving charity care communication connects more patients to the financial support they need. Why clear communication about charity care matters Charity care programs are designed to remove financial barriers to care for those most in need. They provide full or partial discounts to uninsured or underinsured patients for medically necessary services, as set out in hospital policies and state-level regulations. However, according to a 2025 Lown Institute study, millions of eligible patients do not apply because they do not realize the support is available. This lack of charity care awareness could affect care decisions. Experian Health's 2025 State of Patient Access survey found that 43% of patients would consider cancelling or postponing care without an accurate cost estimate. Meanwhile, 34% report they often struggle to pay for healthcare, and 95% say they experience affordability challenges at least occasionally. Making patients aware of available support means they'll feel more confident about what they owe, build trust in their provider and reduce the risk of uncompensated care. The barriers patients face when learning about financial assistance Limited information isn't the only reason for low charity care uptake. Confusing eligibility rules and complicated application processes also make support harder to access. Socioeconomic factors, language barriers and poor digital literacy compound these obstacles. Without action, the challenge looks set to intensify. A Kaiser Family Foundation investigation found that hospitals in states with limited access to Medicaid generally had higher charity care costs. With the Congressional Budget Office projecting that changes under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act will result in a further 16.9 million Americans without insurance over the next decade, improving charity care and patient education is likely to become more urgent. Jason Considine, President at Experian Health, explains: “When coverage gaps widen, healthcare providers must be financial advocates for their patients. Hospitals can't afford to wait for patients to ask for help or default on bills. It will become even more important for providers to guide the financial journey. This includes helping patients qualify for financial aid or identify personal payment plans." He says, "Proactive financial screening must be embedded throughout the patient journey and providers need to take every opportunity to help patients understand their options. It's not just about protecting revenue, it's about ensuring that every patient has access to the care they need, regardless of their financial circumstances. That means offering clear education, transparent communication and robust charity care options at every touchpoint.” “When coverage gaps widen, healthcare providers must be financial advocates for their patients. Hospitals can't afford to wait for patients to ask for help or default on bills. It will become even more important for providers to guide the financial journey.”- Jason Considine, President at Experian Health How to build trust when discussing financial support to patients For many patients, discussing financial hardship can be uncomfortable. Providers must approach these conversations with empathy, clarity and consistency. When thinking about how to explain charity care to patients, staff should focus on using plain language, avoiding jargon and being as clear and compassionate as possible. Timing matters as much as tone: patients who understand their options early are more likely to meet their financial obligations. Alex Liao, Senior Product Manager for Patient Financial Clearance at Experian Health, says talking about financial support should be normalized as part of the standard intake process: "While we know a lot of patients worry about cost, there are also those who are unsure if it's okay to bring up,” Liao says. “When providers take the first step and lead the conversation, it takes the pressure off patients and gives them extra reassurance. They feel more comfortable having honest and judgment-free discussions about how to manage their bills." Strategies for improving charity care awareness and understanding Liao says that providers need practical strategies for holding compassionate financial conversations: “Compassion isn't just about how we speak to patients. It's about making sure they trust and process the information they're given, and can act on it,” he says. “That means meeting patients where they are – financially, culturally and technologically. Staff should be trained to explain assistance options confidently and consistently, using standardized messaging, multilingual materials and awareness of culturally appropriate messaging.” Technology can further close the gap. Patient portals, SMS tools and mobile apps can deliver personalized financial messages and guide patients through eligibility pathways in a way that's particularly convenient for younger or mobile-first populations. Integrating charity care communication with eligibility screening Of course, these conversations depend on knowing who needs support in the first place. Automated screening processes make it easier to identify patients who qualify for assistance. This should be done as early as possible, so patients get early clarity about any support that may be available. Embedding charity care screening directly into scheduling, pre-registration and intake workflows means staff can proactively flag patients who need help before balances become unmanageable. By identifying eligible patients upfront, providers can reduce downstream bad debt and avoid the costs of collections and write-offs. On-demand webinar: Hear how Eskenazi Health boosted Medicaid charity approvals by 111% with financial aid automation Discover how Eskenazi Health partnered with Experian Health to automate the entire financial assistance process. How Experian Health supports better charity care communication at scale As states mandate charity care screening, Liao says these processes should be scalable: “We're seeing more states pass legislation that requires screening for financial assistance in hospitals. With other bills like Oregon's HB3320 being enacted, more patients will need to be screened for charity care eligibility. Because more individuals may now qualify, healthcare providers will need an efficient way to screen at scale and make sure patients are informed about their options. A tool like Patient Financial Clearance does well with volume.” Patient Financial Clearance helps reduce the manual burden of screening patients for financial assistance by automatically estimating the patient's income, household size and Federal Poverty Line percentage, and then scoring their propensity to pay. It can pre-populate charity care applications and help suggest custom-tailored payment plans to make patient bills more manageable. Automating key steps and communicating options early in the process helps staff and patients have better financial conversations. Patient Financial Advisor builds on that by allowing providers to contact patients directly with clear, upfront cost information before their visit. It sends a pre-service text message with a secure link to real-time estimates based on current rates and benefits data. Patients can easily see what they owe, explore available assistance and make secure payments, all through an intuitive, mobile-friendly platform. On-demand webinar: The X Factor - Using Experian data to drive financial assistance automation Discover how your peers are automating processes to meet new state charity screening regulations and finding new efficiencies. Empowering patients through transparent financial communication Too often, patients miss out on financial assistance simply because no one told them it was available. That communication gap creates a risk for patients facing unexpected bills, and for providers managing uncompensated care. Transparent financial conversations help remove barriers to care and build trust between patients and providers. With more patients likely to fall into eligible categories in the coming months and years, healthcare organizations need to rethink how and when they talk about financial assistance. Experian Health helps providers take a more proactive and compassionate approach to charity care communication, with scalable strategies that leave no patient overlooked. Learn more about how Experian Health's financial assistance solutions simplify charity care communication, so more patients get the help they need. Learn more Contact us

Key takeaways: As healthcare costs increase, the demand for patient financial assistance also rises as more patients find themselves without insurance coverage or facing economic hardship. Early identification of charity care eligibility reduces patient financial stress, makes the financial experience more compassionate, and protects providers from bad debt. Automated screening tools like Patient Financial Clearance, built on accurate, real-time data, are essential for flagging eligible patients before accounts go to collections and ensuring that no one misses out on vital support. Too often, patients who qualify for financial assistance aren't identified until after their accounts have been sent to collections. As healthcare costs increase and coverage becomes less certain, more patients will likely face financial challenges, making timely support even more critical. With estimated income data and financial behavior indicators, healthcare organizations can identify patient eligibility for charity care earlier, before the bills pile up. This article looks at how automated charity screening tools like Patient Financial Clearance can help providers support patients, protect revenue and remove the financial barriers that get in the way of care. The rising demand for patient financial assistance Demand for financial support is climbing quickly as economic pressures and policy changes make it harder for patients to keep up with medical costs. Nearly one in four adults are uninsured, often delaying or forgoing care because of high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Medicaid redeterminations have already resulted in more than 19 million disenrollments. At the same time, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that new federal spending provisions could push an additional 10.9 million people out of health coverage by 2034. As a result, revenue cycle teams will increasingly find themselves trying to collect payments from patients who are more likely to need financial help. "We're also seeing more states pass legislation that effectively mandates early screening for financial assistance before billing, such as Oregon's HB 3320," says Alex Liao, Senior Product Manager for Patient Financial Clearance at Experian Health. "These policies are becoming major drivers of financial clearance efforts. Identifying financial need early in the process helps patients avoid unexpected medical debt, and gives providers the insight they need to manage accounts appropriately and protect revenue." For providers, growing administrative costs, claim denials and underpayments mean less flexibility to absorb uncompensated care. Early screening protects against the burden of medical debt and facilitates the transparency and clarity patients need to manage their bills. Why does early identification of patient charity care eligibility matter? When charity care eligibility is missed or delayed, patients can quickly accumulate medical debt they can't afford. In an interview about the latest State of Patient Access survey, Clarissa Riggins, Chief Product Officer at Experian Health, explains why this is so important: "Cost is a major pain point," she says. "The report shows that 34% of patients struggle to pay for healthcare. That number is up from 23% last year. And nearly all patients, 95%, say they at least sometimes have trouble paying. It's clear that affordability is still one of the top reasons people delay care." Identifying charity care eligibility early on ensures these patients don't fall through the cracks. This reduces financial stress for patients and protects providers from avoidable write-offs and bad debt. When staff know which patients are likely to need support, they can have more compassionate and helpful financial conversations and connect patients with appropriate resources. Unlock patient charity care eligibility with automated screening  Manual charity care screening processes are often time-consuming and prone to delays, especially when staff have huge volumes of information to handle. Automated financial assistance screening tools use real-time data to identify patients who may qualify for charity care with greater speed and accuracy. For example, Patient Financial Clearance (PFC) helps providers screen patients earlier in the financial journey by automatically checking for eligibility at or before the point of service. It uses a range of estimated data points, including household income, household size and Federal Poverty Level (FPL) percentage, to assess whether a patient qualifies for charity care, Medicaid or other financial assistance. After calculating a risk score to evaluate the patient's propensity to pay, PFC can pre-fill application forms, reducing the need for staff input and accelerating enrollment. For those who may not qualify for charity care, PFC can recommend payment plan options that align with the provider's financial policies. This proactive, behind-the-scenes screening enables providers to flag eligible patients at multiple points in the care journey, ensuring more patients get the support they qualify for while minimizing manual work for staff. Case study: How UCHealth wrote off $26 million in charity care with Patient Financial Clearance See how UCHealth partnered with Experian Health to create a more streamlined approach to providing charity care to patients who needed it. Take a smarter approach to patient financial assistance with Experian Health Automated charity screening tools like Patient Financial Clearance are faster, more consistent and easier for staff to act on. But they'll fall short without reliable data. "Strong data practices are key," says Riggins. "That means better systems to catch errors before they become problems, regular staff training, and giving patients the chance to double-check their records… By automating tasks traditionally performed by human staff, healthcare organizations can save time associated with administrative intake and coverage verification. This also means solving for bad data in real-time, which can prevent billing and claim errors in the long run. Clean data makes everything easier, from billing to insurance verification to patient trust." She gives the specific example of Patient Access Curator, which uses artificial intelligence to run multiple data checks at once, covering eligibility verification, coordination of benefits, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers, demographics, and coverage discovery. When thinking about how to use data to find charity care eligible patients, tools like this lay the foundation for more proactive financial engagement. By cleaning up data and automating repetitive tasks, Experian Health's revenue cycle solutions enable providers to streamline their financial operations and give financial counsellors the details they need to engage patients at the right time and help them understand their options. The bottom line Automation and accurate data aren't just backend upgrades. They're essential to building a smarter, more compassionate financial experience, with fewer accounts going to collections. By embracing the best practices for identifying patients needing financial assistance, early action, better data quality, and automation, providers will be better placed to make sure no one misses out on the help they need. Find out more about how Patient Financial Clearance can help healthcare organizations automate financial assistance and identify patients eligible for charity care. Learn more Contact us

Managing claims efficiently—and reducing denials—remains one of the biggest challenges for healthcare providers. Statistics reveal that 46% of denials are caused by missing or inaccurate data, as highlighted by Experian Health's 2024 State of Claims Survey. For providers, these denials translate into endless follow-ups with patients, staff burnout, rising bad debt (which has increased by 7% year-over-year), and slim revenue margins. Reworking a denied claim costs providers an average of $25 and hospitals $181—an expense that is difficult to justify. Introducing Patient Access Curator: Automated claims accuracy from day 1 Fortunately, there is now a way to ensure claims are processed accurately from the start, without excessive effort: Patient Access Curator (PAC), Experian Health's groundbreaking new tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize the claims process. As a central component of Experian Health's Patient Access portfolio, this innovative solution automates front-end processes, identifies incorrect data upfront, and resolves inaccuracies in real time, preventing costly claim denials before they occur. Introduced in early 2024, the curation tool is getting the attention of revenue cycle leaders at health systems and laboratories, with good reason.  This article gives a run-down of Patient Access Curator and how it helps providers prevent claim denials in seconds.  Join us for an exclusive session on August 21, 2025 to explore how Experian Health is reshaping the way healthcare organizations manage Coordination of Benefits (COB). Learn how automation and AI are eliminating manual errors, reducing denials and unlocking millions in recoverable revenue. Register now Built-in AI for more accurate data and seamless claims denial prevention Most issues that lead to denials crop up early in the revenue cycle, when information is missed or captured incorrectly during patient registration. For this reason, it makes sense to focus on denial prevention strategies  on the front end. With so much data to capture, manual strategies are bound to stumble. Unfortunately, many digital tools still require staff to check multiple payer websites and data repositories to verify insurance eligibility and check for any billable coverage that might have been missed. Patient Access Curator takes on these tasks seamlessly, and right within Epic workflows. From patient demographics and eligibility checks to coordination of benefits (COB) primacy, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBI), and insurance discovery, the system automates these essential processes, providing precise data within moments. This solution ensures data integrity from the moment of registration by replacing manual guesswork with advanced AI-driven technology. This reduces the frequency of denials, minimizes A/R write-offs, and curtails vendor fees. Beyond enhancing efficiency, the tool safeguards the financial health of healthcare providers.  Jason Considine, President of Experian Health, says, "Our mission is to simplify healthcare. Patient Access Curator's advanced AI technology equips providers to address claim denials more effectively and efficiently than ever before."  Say goodbye to manual work with instant eligibility and insurance verification Patient Access Curator simplifies operations for billing teams, healthcare staff and patients. By removing administrative hurdles, staff can focus on patient engagement, rather than spending time on paperwork, phone calls and browsing websites for data. The outcome is improved satisfaction for both healthcare providers and their patients.  "We know this technology is revolutionizing the healthcare industry," shares Jordan Levitt, Senior Vice President at Experian Health. Levitt, who developed the AI-powered data capture technology, explains, "By delivering faster, more accurate results, providers can improve financial solvency while giving staff and patients a better experience."  Gone are the days of asking patients for insurance cards or verifying numbers and dates that might be inaccurate. With this solution, registrars and billing teams can be confident in the data they collect, right from the start.  PAC was created to replace the manual guesswork that often bogs down eligibility and insurance verification processes. From patient demographics and eligibility checks to COB primacy, MBI, and insurance discovery, this solution automates these critical touchpoints, delivering accurate data in seconds.  Fewer denials, faster reimbursements  The impact on denial prevention is unparalleled. Patient Access Curator ensures fewer claim rejections and faster payer reimbursements by identifying and correcting bad data across eligibility, COB, and discovery at the start of the revenue cycle. Providers are left with more retained revenue, which can be reinvested into what truly matters: patient care.  Patient Access Curator: Key features that set it apart Patient Access Curator differentiates itself as a comprehensive, all-in-one product that simplifies the most complex aspects of claims management. Key features include:  Real-time data correction: Fixes inaccurate data instantly without staff intervention.  Comprehensive coverage: Finds and corrects bad data across eligibility, COB primacy, MBI, demographics, and insurance discovery.  Eligibility verification: PAC automatically interrogates 271 responses, flagging up active secondary and tertiary coverage information to eliminate coverage gaps Coordination of Benefits: Integrating with eligibility verification workflow, PAC automatically analyzes payer responses to find hidden signs of additional insurances that may be missed by a human eye, and triggers additional inquiries to those third parties to determine primacy, for faster COB processing  Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers: PAC uses AI and robotic process automation to find and fix patient identifiers so no one misses out on essential support Insurance discovery: For patient accounts marked as self-pay or unbillable, PAC automates additional coverage searches Demographics: The platform can quickly check and correct patient contact information.  Seamless integration: Automatically updates host systems (Epic) with verified and corrected coverage data in seconds.  The results? Fewer clicks, faster workflows, and more accurate billing processes. PAC doesn't just prevent claim denials; it transforms how healthcare teams approach patient access and revenue cycle management.  Proven ROI: How Patient Access Curator delivers $100 million boost to Exact Sciences Explore how Patient Access Curator powered a $100M improvement at Exact Sciences by automating insurance discovery and reducing claim denials. Improve financial health by focusing on patient health By eliminating redundant administrative questions, Patient Access Curator allows patients to focus on their health rather than the complexities of billing and coverage. Meanwhile, healthcare staff enjoy a boost in morale, thanks to fewer manual tasks and more efficient workflows—a benefit that can lead to higher staff retention over time.  Patient Access Curator is more than a tool; it's a game-changer for healthcare organizations looking to protect their revenue while delivering a better, more seamless experience for both staff and patients. Say goodbye to manual guesswork and hello to a smarter, faster, and more reliable way to manage claims. With PAC, healthcare organizations can finally get claims right from the start, without the hassle.  Patient Access Curator is available now - learn how your healthcare organization can get started and prevent claim denials in seconds. Learn more Contact us

“Data is cleaner throughout all the downstream systems. Our refreshed power reporting now provides encounter-level data, which offers more actionable insights for our client's operational teams.”-Cindy Biggio, Director of Patient Accounting at Virtua Health Challenge Virtua Health is a large New Jersey health system with over 2,000 staffed hospital beds across multiple locations. An inefficient Notice of Admissions (NOA) process was becoming unsustainable for inpatient admissions, putting revenue at risk. “Manually faxing NOAs to payers was an administrative nightmare,” says Ginny Norton, Lead IT Applications Analyst at Virtua Health. “Tracking the sheer volume of NOAs and ensuring they reached the payers on time was time-consuming. The process was inefficient and risky.” Missing a payer's NOA deadline for an inpatient stay can result in reimbursement denials for the entire duration of the patient's stay, which jeopardizes cash flow. At Virtua, connectivity issues, faulty fax machines and human error left the revenue cycle team without a reliable way to track NOA submissions or challenge payer denials. This increased the likelihood of missed deadlines and delayed payments. Adhering to different rules and deadlines for multiple payers made the process even harder to control. The pressure was on to find a scalable solution that would prevent further revenue loss by: Minimizing manual work for admissions staff and insurance verifiers Ensuring NOAs were submitted on time and within each payer's deadline Improving efficiency by freeing staff to focus on more urgent tasks Streamlining the process of requesting additional payer connections. Solution Switching from manual to automated NOAs was the obvious way forward. Cindy Biggio, Director of Patient Accounting at Virtua, says Experian Health's Notice of Care solution, featuring Notice of Admissions (NOA) functionality, was a natural fit, due to its easy integration with their existing Epic® set-up: “Based on recommendations from other Epic health systems and Experian's integration with Epic, choosing Notice of Care was a logical decision for us. We were already using other Experian Health solutions, so it made sense to build up the portfolio of products we were already using.” Because Experian Health's NOA operates within the eCare NEXT® eligibility platform, Virtua staff can manage it within their existing workflows. NOAs are triggered as soon as a patient's insurance eligibility is verified. Submissions are sent directly to payers within their required timeframes, with patient and procedure information automatically pre-filled to save time and reduce data-entry errors. Each request is formatted according to the payer's rules, while incoming payer responses are standardized so staff can view them all in a consistent way. While faxes remain a feature of payers' NOA processes, this tool makes handling them much easier. It captures key information from each fax, links it to the appropriate order, and then sorts and converts data from multiple document types so staff can look it up quickly. This is a major improvement on the previous approach, which required staff to monitor and update submission status by hand and liaise with a clearinghouse over delays and errors. Norton says that working closely with the Experian Health team was key to easy implementation: “Clear onboarding processes for existing and new team members helped maintain smooth operations, along with opportunities to seek feedback from staff so we could keep making improvements… Overall, the implementation process and transition to 'go-live' were smooth. Our staff adapted to the changes well. There was far less chaos without having to manage a mountain of paper. It reduced the volume of manual work and freed up time for other tasks. Onboarding was relatively easy.” Read more about how automation reduces administrative costs in healthcare. Outcome Since implementing NOA, Virtua Health has seen immediate improvements across its revenue cycle operations, including: Less manual work, as automation allows staff to operate more efficiently Quicker and more accurate submissions, resulting in fewer denials and more revenue Smoother dispute resolution, thanks to electronic paper trails Better compliance with payer requirements. “Data is cleaner throughout all the downstream systems,” says Biggio. “Our refreshed power reporting now provides encounter-level data, which offers more actionable insights for our client's operational teams.” The solution also fulfills Virtua's need for a scalable approach to NOAs. Instead of classifying new payers by operational platform, staff can now add all payers through one system. Should payer requirements change, Virtua will be ready to adapt. In addition to preventing revenue loss, NOA has had a meaningful impact on staff satisfaction. The solution has lightened workloads, improved day-to-day efficiency and enabled remote work by eliminating repetitive administrative tasks. Freed from the need to visit payer websites or call up payers for admission notification and status updates, staff can focus on more complex tasks and pay more attention to the patient experience. This benefits staff and patients, and positions Virtua as an attractive employer in a tight labor market. Looking ahead, Norton says Virtua will focus on adding more payers and continue using Experian NOA data to improve processes: “We'll keep listening to our staff, who are heads-down in the work, to see if we need to make changes to improve workflow. Moving forward, leadership will decide on adding more solutions based on the needs of our patients, staff, market and operations. We're excited to see what's next.” Learn more about how Experian Health's Notice of Care solution, with Notice of Admissions functionality, automates and integrates NOAs, resulting in fewer errors and faster payments. Learn more Contact us

Key takeaways: Error-prone manual processes are a top reason for delayed reimbursements. Automation across the revenue cycle can help providers see quicker reimbursements. Many processes can be automated: patient estimates, eligibility verification checks, collections, claims management, and more. Prompt reimbursements are crucial for today's healthcare organizations. Delayed reimbursements can lead to a domino effect that impacts the entire revenue cycle. Provider productivity goes down along with quality of care, patients have poor experiences and the bottom line takes a hit. Reimbursement delays often stem from error-prone, outdated manual processes, overburdened staff and excessive administrative work. However, incorporating revenue cycle management automation can help providers overcome numerous reimbursement challenges and improve processes overall. With revenue cycle automation, providers can eliminate many persistent pain points in traditional revenue cycle management (RCM). Staff no longer lose time to tedious manual tasks, patients get their queries answered faster, and managers get the meaningful data they need to drive improvements. And the biggest win? It's easier for providers to get reimbursed for their services, faster and in full. What is revenue cycle automation and how does it work? Healthcare revenue cycle management knits together the financial and clinical components of care to ensure providers are properly reimbursed. As staff and patients know all too well, this can be a complex and time-consuming process, involving repetitive tasks and lengthy forms to ensure the right parties get the right information at the right time. This requires data pulled from multiple databases and systems for accurate claims and billing, and is a perfect use case for automation. In practice, revenue cycle automation involves using technology to complete tasks and processes that may have previously been manually completed. These tasks might include: Automatically generating and issuing invoices, bills and financial statements Streamlining patient data management and exchanging information quickly and reliably Processing digital payments Collating and analyzing performance data to draw out valuable insights. Understanding the challenges in traditional revenue cycle management When it comes to delayed reimbursements, providers lacking revenue cycle management automation typically face the following challenges: Inefficiencies in patient access According to The State of Patient Access 2025, front-end operations are still a source of friction for patients and providers. Four out of the five top patient access challenges reported by providers relate to front-end data collection. Top concerns include insurance searches, reducing errors, and speeding up authorization. Nearly 48% say data collected at registration is “somewhere” or “not” accurate, while 85% report an urgent need for faster, more comprehensive insurance verification. Rising claim denials due to manual errors The State of Patient Access also showed that manual, error-prone processes often lead to delays, claim denials and patient frustration. In fact, more than half (56%) of providers say patient information errors are a primary cause of denied claims. When claims are denied, reworks are often time-consuming, costly and place additional burdens on already overworked staff. Difficulty in managing patient collections Due to rising costs, confusion over estimates and a lack of patient payment options, providers are often left to deal with unpaid medical bills. According to Experian Health data, 29% of patients say paying for healthcare is getting worse. Affordability is a key factor, but patients are also struggling to understand how much their insurance covers and looking for convenient payment options, like payment plans. Download The State of Patient Access 2025 report for a full run-down of patient and provider views about access to care. Six ways revenue cycle automation accelerates reimbursements Revenue cycle improvement through automation can help speed up reimbursements for healthcare providers by: 1. Capturing accurate information quickly during patient access Gathering patient data manually is time-consuming. Errors in the process can lead to denied claims and roadblocks in patient care. Tools like Experian Health's Patient Access Curator use artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline patient access and billing, improve data quality and address claim denials from the outset. This solution also ensures that all data is correct on the front end by checking eligibility, coordination of benefits (COB), Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), demographics and insurance discovery. 2. Simplifying collections and focusing on the right accounts Healthcare collections are a drag on resources. Automating the repetitive elements in the collections process helps reduce the burden on staff. Collections Optimization Manager leverages automation to analyze patients' payment histories and other financial information to route their accounts to the right collections pathway. Scoring and segmenting accounts means no time is wasted chasing the wrong accounts. Patients who can pay promptly can do so without unnecessary friction. As a result, providers get paid faster. 3. Reducing manual work and staff burnout Chronic staffing shortages continue to plague healthcare providers. In Experian Health's recent staffing survey, 96% of respondents said this affected payer reimbursements and patient collections. While automation cannot replace much-needed expert staff, it can ease pressure on busy teams by relieving them of repetitive tasks, reducing error rates and speeding up workflows. 4. Maintaining regulatory compliance with minimal effort While regulatory compliance may not directly influence how quickly providers get paid, it does play a crucial role in preventing the delays, denials and financial penalties that impede the overall revenue cycle. Constant changes in regulations and payer reimbursement policies can be difficult to track. Automation helps teams continuously monitor and adapt to these changes for a smoother revenue cycle, often with parallel benefits such as improving the patient experience. One example is Experian Health's price transparency solutions, which help providers demonstrate compliance with new legislation and provide extra clarity for patients. 5. Improving the end-to-end claims process Perhaps the most apparent way RCM automation leads to faster reimbursement is in ensuring faster and more accurate claims submissions. Automated claims management solutions, like Experian Health's award-winning ClaimSource®, reduce the need for error-prone manual processes, while improving accuracy and efficiencies in the claims editing and submission process. Additional claims management tools, like Claim Scrubber, also help providers submit more complete and accurate claims. Other tools, like Denial Workflow Manager, can be used if claims are denied. With automation and its extensive data analysis capabilities, work lists are generated based on the client's specifications, like denial category and dollar amount, to identify the root cause of denials and improve upstream processes to prevent them. And as artificial intelligence (AI) gains traction, providers are discovering new ways to use technology to improve claims management. AI Advantage™ uses AI and machine learning to find patterns in payer behavior and identify undocumented rules that could lead to a claim being denied, alerting staff so they can act quickly and avert issues. Then, it uses algorithmic logic to help staff segment and rework denials most efficiently. Providers get paid sooner while minimizing downstream revenue loss. 6. Providing better visibility into improvement opportunities Finally, automation helps providers analyze and act on revenue cycle data by identifying bottlenecks, trends and improvement opportunities. Automated analyses bring together relevant data from multiple sources in an instant to validate decisions. Machine learning draws on historical information to predict future outcomes, so providers can understand the root cause of delays and take steps to resolve issues. A healthcare revenue cycle dashboard is not just a presentation tool; it facilitates real-time monitoring of the organization's financial health, so staff can optimize workflows and speed up reimbursement. Embracing automation for a more efficient revenue cycle Like any business, healthcare organizations must maintain a positive cash flow to remain viable and continue serving their communities. Revenue cycle automation strategies can cut through many of the common obstacles that get in the way of financial stability and growth and speed up reimbursements. Learn more about Experian Health's revenue cycle management technology and see where automation could have the biggest impact on your organization's financial health. 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Tracking down missing health coverage has always been challenging for providers, but proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid could make it even tougher. If the reforms take effect, as many as 13.7 million Americans could lose health insurance over the next decade. With more patients cycling in and out of coverage, many will turn up for care without knowing their coverage status, leaving them at risk for bills they can't afford and exposing providers to denials and revenue loss. Insurance verification has traditionally relied on Social Security Numbers (SSN). As the industry moves away from this approach, providers need faster, more reliable ways to confirm health insurance without SSNs. Health insurance without an SSN? The challenge of missing SSNs in patient records For decades, the SSN was a go-to data point for verifying insurance coverage. In the absence of a national patient identifier, it served as a consistent way to match individuals to their insurance records across health systems and payers. However, many patients do not have SSNs, and concerns about data privacy, duplication and identity theft led providers and payers to phase out SSNs. Although SSNs may still be collected during enrollment for administrative use, industry best practice now discourages using SSNs unless absolutely necessary. Recognizing the need for more secure and trustworthy identifiers, many payers have moved away from SSNs. For instance, in 2018, Medicare replaced SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Numbers with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs). These are now the primary means of checking a person's identity for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status and claim status. Commercial health plans have followed suit, relying more heavily on member IDs and internal identifiers for billing and eligibility and avoiding SSNs in patient records in line with privacy rules set out in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. As a result, SSNs are disappearing from patient records and payer databases. The question for providers is how to accurately verify insurance without SSN access. The impact of unidentified insurance on claims and reimbursement When active insurance coverage is overlooked, providers lose the opportunity to bill for care. Some patients will be incorrectly assigned self-pay status, triggering unnecessary billing cycles or charity write-offs. Others get care without providing their coverage information at the time of care, especially in fast-moving outpatient and emergency departments. Either way, the revenue is at risk in situations like these. Providers lose time and revenue. Teams are forced to reprocess claims, track down retroactive coverage, and appeal denials that could have been avoided. Missed coverage also takes a toll on patients, who now owe more than $220 billion in medical debt. And with cost concerns prompting four in ten patients to consider skipping care when they don't receive a price estimate, missing coverage is more than a paperwork problem – it's a clear threat to health and well-being. Case study: How UCHealth saved over $3.5 million by reducing accounts sent to collections with billable insurance. Strategies to identify health insurance without an SSN As the use of the SSN in medical billing declines, providers are looking for new and better tools to find insurance coverage. Digital technology and data integration make it possible to verify insurance without SSN use. Here are a few of the most effective strategies: 1. Using probabilistic matching and third-party data Advanced coverage discovery platforms now use probabilistic matching to connect patients to payers. These tools analyze data points like name, address, date of birth and phone number to identify likely matches. Instead of needing a patient's exact identifiers, they calculate match confidence based on data quality and historical payer data. 2. Leveraging health information exchanges (HIEs) Another option is to connect to regional or statewide HIEs to check insurance details shared across health systems, payers and public programs. This is especially valuable for transient or underserved populations who often move between providers and may not always carry updated insurance cards. 3. Patient self-service portals with identity validation At the front end, patient self-service tools offer opportunities to collect insurance information before a visit. Identity validation technology helps confirm the person's identity without requiring an SSN. Patients can scan an insurance card, update coverage details or answer verification questions within the portal. This reduces the workload for front desk staff and ensures better data before the patient arrives. Automated tools to streamline insurance discovery While patient access tools help patients confirm their coverage details, automated back-end solutions are essential for identifying insurance when information is incomplete or missing. Intelligent coverage discovery platforms can predict and verify active coverage without relying on SSNs, using demographic inputs like name, address and date of birth. These platforms run real-time or batch searches across multiple proprietary databases, combining search best practices, historical claims data and payer response patterns to flag likely matches. At the point of scheduling or registration, automated eligibility checks help identify billable coverage early, reducing errors, manual work and missed reimbursement opportunities. Experian Health's Coverage Discovery® exemplifies this approach, uncovering commercial, Medicare and Medicaid coverage that may have been unknown or forgotten. By identifying primary, secondary and tertiary coverage, it flags accounts that might otherwise be written off or sent to charity. Not only does this help maximize reimbursement revenue, but it also automates the self-pay scrubbing process and reduces the number of accounts sent to bad-debt collections. In 2023 alone, the platform identified billable coverage in more than 30% of self-pay accounts, resulting in over $25 million in found coverage. This level of automation is especially critical as policy changes continue to disrupt coverage stability. Proactive alerts can flag patients previously marked as self-pay but now linked to valid insurance, helping providers course-correct before claims go unpaid. Better patient matching, better outcomes As insurance coverage becomes more complex, providers need smarter and more efficient ways to verify it. Automated platforms like Coverage Discovery identify active insurance using minimal patient data, improving accuracy and reducing dependence on SSNs. When active coverage isn't found, Patient Financial Clearance helps fill the gap, screening for Medicaid eligibility or identifying patients who may qualify for charity care. Together, these tools give providers a more complete financial picture and ensure patients are connected to the coverage or support they need. The result is not just cleaner claims and faster payments, but better patient and provider outcomes. With more than a fifth of patients experiencing delays in healthcare because of issues verifying insurance information, improving coverage accuracy is a win for everyone. Find out more about how Coverage Discovery can help healthcare providers reduce bad debt by verifying patients' health insurance coverage without SSNs. Learn more Contact us

Revenue cycle management (RCM) plays a central role in healthcare, influencing both patient access and the financial well-being of providers. As healthcare organizations navigate growing costs, shifting patient expectations, and increasingly complex administrative tasks, they're finding themselves at a crossroads. Experian Health's State of Patient Access 2025 report offers a look at these challenges from the views of patients and providers, while showcasing how technology is changing the way we approach patient access and revenue cycle operations. In this interview, Clarissa Riggins, Chief Product Officer at Experian Health, shares key takeaways from the report, offers actionable solutions for providers, and outlines trends that are set to shape the future of RCM.  Q1: "Let's start with the big picture. What's going on with patients' access to healthcare right now?" Riggins says, "It's stabilizing, which is a good sign. According to The State of Patient Access 2025, 68% of patients and 43% of providers say access has stayed the same. That's the highest it's been since 2022. Only 15% of patients said it's gotten worse, and that's the lowest number we've seen in a few years."  Q2: "That's reassuring. But there are still challenges, right? What are patients struggling with most?"  "The number one issue continues to be wait times," explains Riggins. "About 25% of patients said getting in to see a provider quickly is still a major hurdle. On top of that, 22% reported delays because of insurance verification, and 20% said they ran into problems with errors in their medical records or billing information. So, while some things have improved, there are still gaps to close.”  Q3: "You mentioned insurance verification. How much of a barrier is that?" "It's a big one," she says. "When insurance verification isn't seamless, it creates a domino effect. That 22% figure I mentioned, those are people who had to wait for care because their insurance details weren't sorted out. Automating that part of the process can make a huge difference in getting people the care they need faster.” Q4: "Are digital tools making a difference in these areas?"  "They have the potential to, but adoption is a challenge. 37% of providers said one of their biggest obstacles is getting patients to actually use the tools available. And 55% said patients don't know how to navigate self-scheduling. We're seeing some resistance, but it's not because the tech isn't there. It's more about awareness and ease of use. She continues, "For example, going back to insurance eligibility, Experian Health's Patient Access Curator uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically check coverage in real time. This helps providers confirm benefits instantly and spot issues early. That kind of automation takes the guesswork and delays out of the equation, so patients can get the care they need without unnecessary holdups. It's not just more efficient for staff; it literally speeds up access to treatment."  Q5: "Let's talk about cost. How is that affecting access for patients today?"  “Cost is a major pain point," she explains. "The report shows that 34% of patients say they often struggle to pay for healthcare. That number is up from 23% last year. And nearly all patients, 95%, say they at least sometimes have trouble paying. It's clear that affordability is still one of the top reasons people delay care."  Q6: "What can providers do to improve the payment experience for patients?"  “It starts with transparency. Patients want to know what they'll owe before they get care. When 81% of patients say they feel more prepared after receiving an accurate estimate, it shows just how critical that upfront information is," Riggins notes. "Experian Health's Patient Estimates solution was built around this need. It allows providers to give patients clear, personalized cost estimates before they receive care, helping them feel informed and in control." "And 43% said they would consider canceling or postponing care if they didn't get that information," she continues. "That's huge. It proves this isn't just about convenience; it's about access. These tools help patients avoid financial surprises, which can be the deciding factor in whether they follow through with treatment." “This solution isn't just making billing easier. It's directly supporting better health outcomes by making care more accessible and less intimidating financially."  Q7: "So, it's not just about having the tools. It's about how they're used?"  "Exactly. Providers need to make sure the tools are easy to use and that patients understand how to use them. That means clear instructions, mobile-friendly interfaces, and support when people get stuck. If the experience feels complicated, people just won't engage." Q8: "What are patients looking for when it comes to better access?"  "Patients are very clear. They want convenience," Riggins says. "According to The State of Patient Access 2025 report:  82% don't want to complete forms multiple times if their information hasn't changed  80% want to be able to schedule appointments from their phone (via a browser or an app)  77% want a heads-up on insurance coverage before treatment  52% want more digital options, period  So, if providers listen to these preferences and meet patients where they are, access improves naturally."  Q9: "What about billing and patient record issues? How can providers avoid those mistakes?"  "Strong data practices are key. That means better systems to catch errors before they become problems, regular staff training, and giving patients the chance to double-check their records. Adding tools like Patient Access Curator can really make a difference. It uses artificial intelligence to handle a bunch of tasks all at once – eligibility checks, COB, MBI, demographics, and insurance discovery. By automating tasks that are traditionally performed by human staff, healthcare organizations can save time associated with administrative intake and coverage verification. This also means solving for bad data in real-time, which can help prevent billing and claim errors in the long run.  Clean data makes everything easier, from billing to insurance verification to patient trust," Riggins concludes.   Patient access is evolving, but not without its challenges. As the State of Patient Access 2025 report highlights, stability is improving, but issues like price transparency, low adoption of digital access tools and insurance verification continue to create friction. The path forward lies in listening to what patients are asking for: easy-to-use digital tools, clear pricing, and fewer administrative headaches. By utilizing automation and AI, providers can streamline access and build stronger, more trusted relationships with their patients.  Learn more about how Experian Health can help healthcare organizations improve patient access, and download the report for the full survey results.   Download now Contact us

Revenue cycle management (RCM) leaders feel it every day: financial pressures continue to mount, with hospital and laboratory operating margin compression becoming a challenge for even the most financially sound healthcare organizations. To combat claim denial pressures and strained lab and hospital profit margins, healthcare providers should start with the beginning in mind. Strained lab and hospital profit margins are particularly evident in revenue cycle operations, where every dollar billed to a payer needs to find its way back to the system. Rising labor costs, increased expenses for purchased services, and declining patient demand - plus inflationary pressures and labor shortages - have exacerbated these issues. As a result, many hospitals and health system leaders are struggling to maintain financial sustainability. The best revenue cycle leaders must deftly navigate a complex mix of denial management strategies and AI-based technology, like Patient Access Curator, to maximize revenue and improve operational efficiency. Payers aren't helping lab or hospital profit margins Payers, facing their own financial pressures, are tightening hospital operating margins even further, leading to increased claim denials, hyper-focused audits, and reduced reimbursement rates. These strategies create a series of cascading challenges for RCM teams, including increased administrative burdens and revenue leakage. According to a report by Healthcare Finance, 84% of health systems cite lower reimbursement from payers as a top cause of low operating margins. Additionally, 82% of CFOs have seen a significant increase in payer denials since pre-pandemic levels. Higher labor costs are another major driver of margin pressure, with 96% of CFOs reporting this as a significant issue. Healthcare leaders agree – strained profit margins are an ongoing struggle In Experian Health's own research, healthcare executives identified strained profit margins as their biggest challenge. The underlying struggle is about money—keeping cash flowing and supporting a healthy organization. One of the country's top health system CFOs stated that it's the first time in his 30-year career where his beds are full, but he has zero margin. This highlights the severity of the issue. Jason Considine, President at Experian Health, says, "We talk to healthcare leaders frequently and our survey and polling have revealed their primary concerns leading to strained margins – and a highly-pressured financial environment. Some of these reasons might be front and center [for a particular organization], others secondary or tertiary. But all of them are driving down margins across health systems: inpatient revenue erosion, cost of labor, rising staffing and supply complexity, delayed payer reimbursements, regulations, and a very fluid, shifting payer mix. It's consistent from system to system, hospital to hospital." Quick fixes only deepen the problem How have most healthcare organizations been playing catch-up? They throw various fixes at the problem, like cobbling together denial management teams, and adding more software, contingency vendors, and labor. However, those solutions can be a knee-jerk reaction, and only compress margins further. Take a look at coordination of benefits (COB) denials. Revenue cycle leaders often don't have the complete data picture when they look at a 271 response to establish primacy and ignore the “noise” of secondary or tertiary payers. Many don't truly know their system's current process for COB denials – nor that of the vendors or staff who try to 'fix' the problems. Bud Zuberer, VP of Sales at Experian Health, says, "On a daily basis we hear that COB denials, contingency fees, and labor costs are crippling revenue cycle teams. They're paralyzed with too many decisions to make. This collection of problems has led to a rise in denial management teams and personnel. We're witnessing the invention of companies to 'solve' the problem. But that's not the answer. The answer lies in ensuring the data ingestion is correct from the start.” Adding more solutions or software to an already full slate of vendors can also be problematic, as it requires more human touchpoints and capital investments. Ultimately, this affects cash flow, cash acceleration, and days in accounts receivable (AR). Prevention is the best medicine to improve strained lab and hospital profit margins The fastest way to ease the pain of rising claim denials and falling cash flow is denial prevention – fixing downstream problems upstream, before they occur. As Zuberer points out, clean data from the start will reduce denials and chasing cash on the back end. Experian Health's all-in-one Patient Access Curator prevents claim denials in seconds by solving bad data quality and real-time data correction, drastically cutting contingency vendor fees and accelerating cash flow. Some of the key benefits of Patient Access Curator include: Reducing billing errors: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning guided technology improve claim and data accuracy. Quick, accurate patient registration and scheduling: Streamlines processes. Lower denial volumes: Prevents claim denials at the front end. Decrease human resources related to denial management: Eases staffing shortages and frees up team members for higher-value tasks. Client success story Exact Sciences, one of the largest laboratories in the U.S., recently began using the Patient Access Curator in its revenue cycle operations. Thanks to Patient Access Curator, Exact Sciences achieved the following results: 15% increase in revenue per test due to accurate eligibility and fewer denials 4x business volume without increasing headcount 50% reduction in denials and major improvement in timely filings $100 million added to the bottom line in 6 months “You know when Patient Access Curator went live because you can see it in our stock price. It helped us drive a $100 million bottom-line improvement within two quarters.” - Ken Kubisty, Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Exact Sciences Read the full case study or see what Kubisty had to say in a new testimonial: Prevent strained profit margins in the long run  Strained profit margins are a significant challenge for healthcare organizations, impacting revenue cycle operations and overall financial health. By adopting strategic approaches and leveraging technology, healthcare leaders can navigate these complexities and confirm every dollar is accounted for. In this evolving landscape, proactive and adaptive leadership is crucial for sustaining financial stability and delivering high-quality care. Learn more about how Patient Access Curator helps prevent strained lab and hospital profit margins by solving for bad data, all at once. Patient Access Curator Contact us

Patient access continues to improve, with both providers and patients reporting steady progress, according to The State of Patient Access 2025. Building on the momentum of the 2024 State of Patient Access survey (when 55% of providers reported better access), 36% now say it has improved even further. Around six in ten patients agree that the experience is the same or better than a year ago. Now in its fifth year, Experian Health's latest annual survey shows how patient and provider perceptions of patient access have changed, and where there's still work to do. In February 2025, more than 200 healthcare revenue cycle decision-makers and over 1000 healthcare consumers were surveyed about their experiences over the previous year. The findings point to three key opportunities for organizations looking to improve the patient experience and boost revenue, which are discussed below. Download The State of Patient Access 2025 report for a full run-down of patient and provider views about access to care. What patients and providers think of patient access (and 3 immediate opportunities) The overall sentiment is encouraging, but there's always room for improvement. The report gives a detailed breakdown of the reasons why respondents think access has improved – or not – and how many respondents gave those reasons. These insights will help providers target their improvement efforts where they matter most. Opportunity 1: Focus on the financial experience 29% of patients say paying for healthcare is getting worse 56% of patients say they need help from their provider to understand what their insurance covers 50% of providers say access is better because patients have more flexible payment options Financial concerns continue to shape the patient experience. Affordability is a key factor in whether patients think paying for care is getting easier or tougher, but it's not the only one. Patients who feel that paying for healthcare has improved cite reasons like being able to understand what their insurance covers, having payment plans that make costs more manageable, and being able to complete paperwork digitally prior to care. Conversely, those with a negative view mention confusion over what they owe, difficulty making payments, excess paperwork and lack of payment plans among their top concerns. To address these challenges, providers can turn to tools that streamline the financial journey from the start. Automating patient financial clearance helps get patients on the right financial pathway as quickly as possible, while segmentation data enables smarter and more personalized collection strategies. Offering flexible payment plans and convenient digital payment options rounds out a financial experience that's easier, more transparent and aligned with patients' needs. Case study: See how UCHealth used automated financial clearance to identify $26 million in charity care. Opportunity 2: Prioritize accurate price estimates 81% of patients say an accurate estimate helps them better prepare to pay 43% of patients say that without an estimate, they're likely to postpone or cancel care 88% of providers say there's an urgency to improve or implement accurate estimates Sticking with the financial theme, the findings suggest that despite ongoing efforts, price transparency in particular still needs some work. While more patients received estimates, accuracy has fallen for a third year in a row. As a result, patients are left uncertain about what they'll owe, prompting some to avoid care altogether. On the flipside, 38% of patients say that understanding the cost of care in advance of treatment made for a better payment experience. With 77% of patients saying it's important that their provider can explain what their insurance covers before treatment, there's a clear opportunity to help patients feel more in control. Not only will this reduce patient stress, but it also builds trust and increases the chance of prompt payments. Almost all patients say they struggle to pay for care at some point, so improving the accuracy of estimates should be an immediate priority for providers. Timely, personalized estimates that reflect the true cost of care will give patients early clarity and avoid surprises later. Experian Health's patient estimates tools use real-time data, including insurance coverage, updated payer contract terms and current provider pricing, to calculate accurate estimates before services are delivered. Patients can receive estimates sent directly to their mobile device or generate estimates through a self-service web-based portal. Opportunity 3: Use automation to improve front-end data collection 56% of providers say patient information errors are a primary cause of denied claims 48% say data collected at registration is “somewhat” or “not” accurate 83% say there's an urgent need for faster, more comprehensive insurance verification Front-end operations are a major source of friction for both providers and patients. Four out of the five top patient access challenges reported by providers relate to front-end data collection, including improving insurance searches, reducing errors and speeding up authorizations. These inefficiencies don't just slow down internal workflows. Manual, error-prone processes lead to delays, claim denials and patient frustration. Providers note that staffing shortages are compounding the problem, which suggests that tackling these front-end workflows would be a strategic operational win. It's also a financial opportunity. In the CAQH's latest Index Report, shifting from manual to electronic transactions for administrative tasks such as eligibility checks, insurance verification and prior authorizations could save the healthcare industry up to $20 billion. Patient Access Curator uses automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline patient access and billing, address claim denials and improve data quality from the outset. This integrated solution performs rapid eligibility, coordination of benefits (COB), Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI), demographics and insurance discovery checks to ensure that all data is correct on the front end. Case study: See how Exact Sciences boosted their bottom line by $100 million with Patient Access Curator The State of Patient Access: From survey to strategy The overall takeaway in The State of Patient Access 2025 is that while progress is heading in the right direction, meaningful opportunities remain, especially when it comes to improving the patient financial experience, price transparency and front-end operations. Going forward, patients want financial clarity and confidence when accessing care. Providers, facing ongoing staffing and operational pressures, need smart and scalable solutions to meet those expectations. Now it's time to take those findings and deploy the right tools and strategies to keep the good work going. Download The State of Patient Access 2025 report to get the full survey results and contact us to see how we help healthcare organizations improve patient access with automation, AI and digital tools. Download the report Contact us