America’s health care system is broken, and it will take significant changes to fix it. One area that needs improvement is patient care and outcomes. According to Neil Baum, small changes can make a big difference. He offers 15 one-degree changes that can transform patient care and outcomes.
Revenue cycle leaders at the 2026 MGMA Summit discussed the digital patient billing playbook and the order of operations administrators should follow. They also laid out the importance of tying payments to inflation and raising budget neutrality.
Improving Patient Care
Getting patients to use existing portals, reminders, and scheduling pages is a challenge for many practices. Water boils at 212°, not 211°, and similarly, small changes can make a big difference in patient care. Health care veterans resistant to innovation can create barriers to progress, but converting them from adversaries to allies may be the answer.
A new AMA survey scores the country’s largest commercial insurers on the prior authorization burden they impose on physician practices. The survey highlights the need for practices to improve their intake processes, including moving them earlier with digital tools to reduce delays and improve accuracy.
Digital Tools and Patient Engagement
For many practices, intake still relies on patients completing forms on arrival. Moving it earlier with digital tools can reduce delays, improve accuracy, and lighten front-desk workload. As high-deductible plans shift more costs to patients, practices need stronger front-desk collection workflows before balances become write-offs.
Auto-renewal clauses, stale fee schedules, and unread terms can quietly erode revenue. Practices need to surface what to fix before renewal. Arrow founder and CEO Roshan Patel explains why health care payment processing is a mess and what practices can do about it.
Patient satisfaction drives outcomes, revenue, and reviews. A few simple communication tweaks can make patients feel heard and loyal. Identifying the ideal patient sharpens marketing, strengthens doctor-patient relationships, and drives practice growth.
Lessons from Other Industries
America’s health care system can learn from other industries, such as the popular grocery store chain Trader Joe’s. There are several lessons that health care practices can take away from Trader Joe’s, including the importance of communication and patient engagement.
Sam Meckey of WestCX explains why no-shows are a communication design problem and how two-way automated reminders can recover lost revenue. Patients leave for fixable reasons, and practices can take steps to keep patients coming back.
Sarah Matt, M.D., MBA, says virtual care can expand access and strengthen patient relationships if the industry stops assuming it knows patient needs. Win back lapsed patients with EHR outreach, better service, and low-cost community and digital marketing to grow your practice.
Regulatory Environment
HIPAA, the Cures Act, and Medicare incentives make patient portals nearly essential, and practices need to avoid information-blocking complaints. CENTEGIX’s Andrea Greco joins the show to explain why workplace violence is now a balance sheet problem every practice leader needs to take seriously.
Rosemarie Aznavorian, D.N.P., RN, discusses how nurse shortages affect patient access and why more patients turn to AI for medical advice. Stephanie O’Connor explains how practices can modernize payments, reduce fraud, and protect revenue without hurting the patient experience.
Physician burnout is a significant concern, and addressing it requires a complex approach, including physician burnout surveys to identify areas for improvement.
Practices must adapt to changing patient needs and preferences, and this may involve physician career changes to better align with the evolving health care setting.
