Healthcare is facing a perfect storm: rising costs, shrinking reimbursements, and a overwhelming administrative workload. In this episode, we explore how practices can adapt by embracing patient-centric billing as a strategy for resilience. We unpack the financial pressures providers face, the growing demand for convenience, and why outdated manual processes are no longer sustainable.

From automating billing workflows and offering flexible payment options, to integrating systems and using empathetic collections, we show how modern billing technology not only reduces inefficiency but also builds trust, speeds up payments, and strengthens patient loyalty. The takeaway? Billing isn’t just about getting paid—it’s a powerful strategy for resilience, growth, and long-term competitiveness in today’s healthcare landscape.

Transcript

Narrator: 00:00

Welcome to the Billing Blueprint Podcast, your go to resource for innovative medical billing solutions. Each episode we explore the latest industry trends and share proven strategies to help your practice streamline operations and get paid faster. Now here are your hosts, Brad and Sarah.

Sarah: 00:22

 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're getting into a topic that's seeing some massive changes. Healthcare, Right.

Brad: 00:29

 It's really being reshaped, isn't it? By technology, sure, but also by what patients expect now.

Sarah: 00:35

 Exactly. And clinics, hospitals, they're facing a bit of a perfect storm, you could say. Costs are going up, reimbursements are going.

Brad: 00:42

 Down, and the paperwork, the administrative load just keeps piling up.

Sarah: 00:46

 It feels unsustainable for a lot of practices. The old ways just aren't cutting it.

Brad: 00:51

 Definitely. Providers are juggling quality care with this really complex financial and admin side.

Sarah: 00:57

 So our mission here is to unpack those challenges, but more importantly, we want to explore the strategies, the solutions that can help medical practices actually thrive. Stay competitive.

Brad: 01:06

 Yeah, not just survive.

Sarah: 01:08

 Right. And we're focusing specifically on how technology and a real patient first approach to billing and payments can make a difference for you.

Brad: 01:16

 And our insights today, they come from a really interesting article looking at these landscape changes and how modern solutions, like from a company called Bill Flash, are tackling these issues head on, moving from.

Sarah: 01:28

 Just reacting to actually building resilience. Okay, let's start with that shift in how patients see healthcare. It's more like they're consumers now, wouldn't you say?

Brad: 01:38

 Oh, absolutely. They want it to be easy, like ordering food or getting a ride. That kind of seamless experience.

Sarah: 01:45

 But is healthcare ready for that? That's that level of ease?

Brad: 01:48

 Well, that's the big question, because Bain and company found something pretty striking. 65% of healthcare consumers value convenience just as much as the quality of care itself.

Sarah: 01:57

 Wow, 65%. So convenience isn't just a perk anymore?

Brad: 02:01

 Not at all. It's a core expectation. And here's another problem layered on top. A survey found 41% of people feel their providers just aren't clear enough about the costs.

Sarah: 02:13

 Trying to pay a bill you don't really understand. That sounds frustrating.

Brad: 02:15

 Huge friction point. And it just adds to the financial squeeze practices are already feeling.

Sarah: 02:20

 Yeah, let's talk about those financial pressures. It's not just about patient expectations. It's about, well, basic survival.

Brad: 02:26

 For some of these places, the numbers are pretty stark. Medicare reimbursements, for example, keep dipping. They went from about $33 in 2024 down to $32.35 in 2025. It's a trend.

Sarah: 02:39

 A downward trend. Yeah.

Brad: 02:40

 And then you look at costs. A 2022 MGMA poll, that's the Medical Group Management association, found 90% of practices said their costs were rising faster than their revenues.

Sarah: 02:50

 90%. That's almost everyone struggling to keep their head above water.

Brad: 02:54

 It forces really tough decisions. Things that might impact patient access or the services offered.

Sarah: 02:59

 And I bet a big chunk of those rising costs is just the sheer weight of administrative work. We hear about physician burnout all the time.

Brad: 03:06

 Oh, it's a massive factor. The American Medical association found doctors in outpatient settings spend nearly six hours on EHR tasks for every eight hours they actually see patients.

Sarah: 03:15

 Six hours out of eight. That's staggering. Time not spent with patients.

Brad: 03:19

 Exactly. And it's not just time. It's money. CAQH, the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare reported that Administrative spending jumped 50% in 2022.

Sarah: 03:27

 50%?

Brad: 03:28

 Yeah. An extra $82.7 billion spent on just nine admin functions compared to the year before. It's huge.

Sarah: 03:36

 That's incredible. And I saw another stat. Only about 31% of prior authorization requests are fully electronic.

Brad: 03:42

 Right. And that, to me, just screams inefficiency. Think about the cost of all those manual processes.

Sarah: 03:48

 But it also screams opportunity, maybe.

Brad: 03:50

 Precisely. This is where technology can really play a pivotal role.

Sarah: 03:53

 Okay, so is automation the main answer here? It seems like it could be a game changer for that admin mountain, freeing people up for actual patient care.

Brad: 04:01

 It absolutely is. And think about it this way. The money tied up in those clunky manual processes that could be put back into patient care.

Sarah: 04:10

 Right.

Brad: 04:10

 That same CAQH report estimated that just automating things like prior authorization could save the industry $16.4 billion a year.

Sarah: 04:20

 16 billion. Imagine redirecting that.

Brad: 04:22

 Exactly. And patients want this too. Right? They're looking for digital options.

Sarah: 04:25

 Yeah. The shift seems undeniable.

Brad: 04:27

 We're seeing 56% of patients now preferred digital bills. Email, text, though, interestingly, a lot still like paper statements.

Sarah: 04:35

 Oh, especially if they have those QR codes.

Brad: 04:37

 Exactly. Linking straight to an online portal. And almost half, 49% say they'd be willing to pay by text if they could. They want easy and fast.

Sarah: 04:47

 That willingness is key. But none of this works if the systems don't talk to each other. Right. A new billing system that doesn't connect to the ehr. That sounds like a nightmare.

Brad: 04:58

 You've hit on a huge barrier. That fragmentation in healthcare, it. That's why seamless integration is so critical.

Sarah: 05:04

 So solutions need to connect easily.

Brad: 05:06

 Yes. Like take Bill Flash, for example. It integrates with over a hundred different billing applications. That means real time updates, fewer errors, smoother operations. Regardless of what software the practice uses.

Sarah: 05:17

 A unified flow of information makes sense. Okay, so we've got the challenges. We see technologies roll. Let's dig into the actual strategies practices can use to compete. Better focus focusing on that patient first billing idea. Where should they start?

Brad: 05:30

 It really has to start with clarity. Simple as that.

Sarah: 05:32

 Meaning?

Brad: 05:33

 Meaning simplify the statements. Swap out the confusing medical jargon. Comprehensive metabolic panel for plain language. Like lab work.

Sarah: 05:41

 Right. Something people understand.

Brad: 05:42

 Exactly. Clear breakdowns empower patients. They understand what they're paying for. And when they understand, they pay faster. And it builds trust. Less frustration, more. More connection.

Sarah: 05:53

 Makes total sense. No one likes feeling confused by a bill. And right alongside clarity, I assume, comes flexibility.

Brad: 06:00

 Absolutely. You have to offer options today. Debit credit checks, phone payments, payment plans.

Sarah: 06:05

 Apple pay, Google pay, online portals, all of it.

Brad: 06:09

 The demand's there. 62% of patients are using online portals now for medical payments. They want convenience, security. Give them options they like and. And they're much more likely to pay quickly.

Sarah: 06:20

 And this is where automation can really shine. Right? Especially for reminders and collections, making it smoother.

Brad: 06:26

 You got it. Things like autopay, auto reminders, they streamline the whole cycle. Research shows 44% of people pay faster if they get a digital or phone reminder.

Sarah: 06:34

 So it actually works?

Brad: 06:35

 Oh yeah. For providers, automated solutions can boost customer payments by up to 60%. It's about meeting patients where they are giving a gentle nudge. Making it easy, benefits everyone.

Sarah: 06:46

 Okay, but even with automation, some bills will still go past due. And that's delicate territory, isn't it? Collecting money without damaging the patient relationship.

Brad: 06:56

 It'S maybe the most sensitive part. And think about this. 90% of patients say their loyalty is based on the financial experience. 90% and 63% would actually switch providers after just one bad payment interaction.

Sarah: 07:10

 Wow. So you really can't mess this up.

Brad: 07:13

 Right. So the approach needs to be patient centered. Automatically flagging accounts during billing reviews. Using compassionate recovery specialists, often bilingual, which is key. And ensuring communication is professional, empathetic. Plus giving providers control. They decide which accounts go, they can pull them back. It preserves that crucial relationship.

Sarah: 07:34

 That sounds like a much more thoughtful long term approach. Okay, let's make this real. How? How does a company actually do all this? How do they deliver these solutions we're talking about? Let's start with automating the billing process itself.

Brad: 07:44

 Well, a good system focuses on getting rid of those manual Steps. So automated notifications, mail, email, text statements that are branded, easy to read, full color with those QR codes for quick portal access.

Sarah: 07:57

 And maybe educational inserts.

Brad: 07:59

 Yeah, customizable PDF inserts. And a really effective feature is something like a pre bill, giving patients an upfront cost estimate before the visit.

Sarah: 08:07

 Oh, that builds trust. I bet. Fewer surprises.

Brad: 08:09

 Exactly. Reduces disputes later. And for the staff, automated batch processing handles large billing cycles efficiently, freeing them up from paperwork to focus on patients.

Sarah: 08:19

 Makes the back end smoother too. What about those flexible payment options in practice? How does that work?

Brad: 08:25

 So it means supporting everything. Cards, mobile, wallets, like Apple Pay, Google Pay, online in office, mail, phone, all the ways people might want to pay.

Sarah: 08:34

 And financing options.

Brad: 08:35

 That's a big one. Some offer financing, like Flexpay with really high approval rates. Maybe 90%, sometimes 0% interest for patients who qualify.

Sarah: 08:45

 So the patient gets flexibility and the.

Brad: 08:47

 Provider gets paid right away. It tackles that financial anxiety that actually makes 1 in 4 patients delay needed care. So it improves access too.

Sarah: 08:55

 That really does sound like a win win. And integration. We keep coming back to how critical that is.

Brad: 08:59

 It is a top system like we mentioned, integrates with tons of billing applications, maybe over a hundred.

Sarah: 09:05

 Why is that so important?

Brad: 09:06

 Again, it eliminates double data entry, cuts down errors dramatically, and just creates a unified workflow for the staff. They aren't jumping between systems. It boosts efficiency so they can focus on care.

Sarah: 09:16

 Got it. And what about specifically speeding up payments? How do these tools help practices get paid faster?

Brad: 09:24

 Several ways. Those pre bill estimates set clear expectations early. Then when the bill comes, sending a secure E bill link by text or email or having that QR code on the paper statement makes it super easy to pay online instantly.

Sarah: 09:38

 Right. Removes friction.

Brad: 09:39

 And those automated reminders may be up to three gentle email or text nudges a month. They keep the bill top of mind without being annoying. Encouraging timely payment.

Sarah: 09:48

 That consistent gentle nudge seems like it would really help. And. And all of this ties back to the overall patient experience, doesn't it? It's not just about collecting money.

Brad: 09:56

 Not at all. Every touch point matters. Professional looking customized statements reinforce the practice's brand. Clear, plain language bills those pre bill estimates, they educate and empower the patient.

Sarah: 10:08

 And educated patients are more loyal?

Brad: 10:11

 Research suggests yes, 68% are more likely to return to a provider who educates them. So transparency builds trust, fosters understanding, and ultimately cultivates that loyalty.

Sarah: 10:22

 Okay, and lastly, those integrated, respectful collections, how do they balance recovery with keeping patients happy?

Brad: 10:29

 It comes down to professionalism and empathy. Recovery specialists should be licensed everywhere, get ongoing compliance training.

Sarah: 10:35

 And bilingual helps too.

Brad: 10:36

 You said hugely important. Maybe 75% are bilingual. To serve diverse communities, they use empathetic language. And crucially, the provider stays in control, setting rules, approving accounts, sent pulling them back if needed. It's recovery without alienation.

Sarah: 10:50

 So who benefits most from this kind of comprehensive approach? Is it just for big hospitals?

Brad: 10:56

 No, definitely not. These solutions are designed to scale. They work for medical, dental, vision practices of all sizes. Medical billing services use them, even municipalities. Sometimes the core challenges are pretty universal.

Sarah: 11:09

 Okay, so there you have it. Modernizing that whole revenue cycle, it's really not optional anymore in today's healthcare world. For you listening, the takeaway is seeing how billing can shift from being a headache to, well, a strategic advantage.

Brad: 11:22

 Right? And maybe the final thought is what really sets forward thinking providers apart isn't just being efficient. It's blending that operational excellence, that clarity, with real empathy in every single patient interaction, including the financial ones. That focus on a patient centric financial journey that builds the kind of trust and loyalty that's truly invaluable today.

Narrator: 11:44

Thanks for tuning into the Billing Blueprint podcast. For more insights or to dive deeper dive deeper into today's topics. Head over to billflash.com. Don't forget to subscribe and we'll catch you next week with more strategies to keep your practice running smoothly and getting paid faster

Sources:

How Medical Practices Can Stay Competitive in a Changing Healthcare Landscape