By Jonathan Wiik, Vice President, Health Insights, FinThrive
The 10th Annual Becker's RCM CIO Conference was one to remember. Over three days, healthcare leaders from across the country came together to share insights, swap ideas and explore solutions to some of the toughest challenges facing the industry today.
From heated discussions about payer relations to inspiring examples of digital transformation, the event delivered plenty of valuable moments. Here are the top five themes that stood out and will help shape the future of revenue cycle management.
1. AI is an Enabler, Not a Replacement
One message echoed across nearly every session: artificial intelligence is here to support people, not replace them. Leaders from organizations like Marshfield Clinic and Infinix described how they use AI to handle “low-value, repetitive” work in areas such as accounts receivable and denial management.
Roxi Foreman from Marshfield Clinic shared that after automating charge capture with AI, they were able to repurpose three full-time employees to focus on higher-value tasks. The takeaway was clear. AI is a partner that frees up teams to take on more meaningful and strategic work that still requires human expertise.
2. The Shift from Denial Management to Prevention
Many attendees voiced a shared frustration with the endless cycle of reactive denial management. The focus now is on prevention. Leaders from Johns Hopkins and Inova highlighted the importance of moving from transactional roles to analytical ones that address root causes before denials happen.
Drew Mahone of Johns Hopkins discussed their “Denial Prevention Task Force,” which improved performance by 30% by focusing on upstream collaboration, stronger reporting and empowering staff to be “growers, not firefighters,” as Advocate’s Ashley Toney put it.
3. Payer Contracts are a Battlefield
Payer relations dominated much of the conversation. Attendees voiced concerns about administrative burdens and aggressive payer tactics, urging peers to think beyond rates alone. As Drew Mahone noted, “Payers are incented to increase net revenues and they are doing that through denials.”
Successful organizations are getting detailed with their contracts. They’re defining medical necessity criteria, clarifying remittance code mapping and holding payers accountable for timely payments. Sheldon Pink from Methodist Health System shared that his team tracks every instance a payer breaks a rule, then presents that data during Joint Operating Committee meetings. The message was clear: play offense.
RELATED: Best Practices for Collaborating With Payers
4. Patient Access is a Powerful Revenue Driver
Improving patient access isn’t just good service, it’s good business. Malik Bahar from Virtua Health shared the success of their Patient Experience Navigators (PENs) program, where non-clinical staff schedule follow-up appointments at the bedside before discharge.
In only 90 days, the program scheduled 2,200 appointments, brought 21% new patients into the system, generated $1.2 million in revenue and reduced the average length of stay by nine hours on participating floors. The takeaway: investing in the patient experience drives measurable results.
5. Cybersecurity Requires a Unified Defense
The Change Healthcare cyberattack was top of mind and underscored that cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue, it’s everyone’s responsibility. Panelists from Trinity Health and Geisinger stressed the importance of strong business continuity plans that are tested regularly across all departments.
Patrick McDermott from Geisinger, who has faced two major cyberattacks, shared how his team used a crisis to accelerate progress. They completed an RFP and replaced a key vendor in just 25 days. His experience reinforced the importance of redundancy, resilience and understanding vendor risks.
The energy at Becker's RCM CIO 2025 was unmistakable. Technology, strategy and collaboration are converging to redefine the revenue cycle. By challenging old habits and embracing innovation, healthcare leaders can build a more efficient, resilient and patient-focused financial future.
About the Author
Jonathan G. Wiik, MHA, MBA, FHFMA
Vice President, Health Insights
Jonathan Wiik, VP of Health Insights at FinThrive, has over 25 years of healthcare experience in acute care, health IT and insurance settings. He started his career as a hospital transporter and served in clinical operations, patient access, billing, case management and many other roles at a large not-for-profit acute care hospital and prominent commercial payer before serving as Chief Revenue Officer. Wiik works closely with the market and hospitals on industry best practices for revenue management. He is considered an expert in the industry for healthcare finance, legislation, revenue management and strategic transformation.
