Beyond HFMA AC26: Five Priorities Healthcare Leaders Should Act on Now

HFMA AC26 surfaced no shortage of ideas about the future of healthcare finance and operations. In Signature Performance’s initial reflections from the conference, our subject matter experts shared the themes that stood out most. In the weeks since, a more important question has emerged: How should healthcare organizations turn those insights into action?

Across Signature Performance’s conversations with providers, chief financial officers, revenue cycle leaders, and industry partners, the central challenge was not a lack of awareness. Leaders understand the pressures created by financial constraints, workforce shortages, operational complexity, evolving technology, and rising patient expectations.

The challenge is execution.

As healthcare organizations plan for the next 12 to 18 months, five priorities can help leaders move from recognizing problems to addressing them.

Priority 1: Shift From Managing Denials to Preventing Them

Healthcare organizations can reduce the financial and administrative burden of denials by addressing root causes before claims are submitted, rather than relying primarily on appeals after the fact. One of the most consistent themes throughout HFMA was frustration with the growing volume and complexity of denials. Many organizations continue to invest significant resources appealing denied claims after the fact. However, leading organizations are increasingly focusing upstream.

Where Denial Prevention Should Begin:

• Revenue integrity

• Charge capture

• Clinical documentation improvement

• Authorization accuracy

• Contract compliance

  
  

The most successful organizations treat denial prevention as an enterprise initiative rather than a business office function. They examine the causes of denials across the revenue cycle, assign responsibility for corrective action, and measure whether changes prevent the same issues from recurring.

Priority 2: Stop Chasing Technology and Start Building a Technology Strategy

Healthcare organizations should evaluate technology based on the operational or financial problem it will solve, not the novelty of the tool. HFMA reinforced that healthcare leaders are experiencing significant technology fatigue. New artificial intelligence tools, automation platforms, analytics solutions, and point products continue to enter the market at an unprecedented pace.

Organizations are increasingly asking:

• Which solutions truly create value?

• Which capabilities should be native to our electronic health record?

• Which investments improve outcomes rather than add complexity?

Technology should support strategy, not become the strategy. Every major technology investment should connect to a measurable financial or operational outcome.

Priority 3: Treat Revenue Cycle as a Strategic Lever

Revenue cycle should be part of enterprise planning because its performance affects far more than collections and cash acceleration. Historically, many organizations viewed revenue cycle as a back-office function. That mindset is rapidly changing.

HFMA discussions highlighted the realization that revenue cycle performance impacts:

• Margin stability

• Patient experience and provider satisfaction

• Access to care

• Long term organizational sustainability

Forward thinking organizations bring revenue cycle leadership into broader strategic planning discussions. This allows leaders to consider the downstream financial and operational effects of decisions involving patient access, technology, staffing, payer relationships, and clinical documentation before problems reach billing or collections.

Priority 4: Build Workforce Models Around Higher Value Work

The strongest workforce models use technology to reduce repetitive administrative work while allowing employees to focus on judgment, problem solving, and improvement.

Another major theme from HFMA was workforce transformation. Leaders are increasingly recognizing that technology should not simply automate tasks, it should elevate people.

Organizations are redesigning workflows so that:

• Automation handles repetitive activities and supports decision making

• Staff can focus on complex problem solving

• Leaders spend more time improving outcomes

The goal is not fewer people. The goal is more meaningful work.

Priority 5: Expect Strategic Partners to Support Execution

Healthcare organizations should expect partners to help solve problems, implement changes, and measure results, not simply deliver recommendations. Perhaps the strongest message from HFMA was that healthcare organizations are no longer looking for vendors. They are looking for partners.

Leaders repeatedly described a need for organizations that can:

• Diagnose root causes and recommend solutions

• Support implementation

• Deliver measurable outcomes

The days of one time assessments and lengthy reports are fading. Healthcare leaders want accountability, execution, and results. Strategic partners should remain involved after the initial recommendation and help ensure that improvements translate into sustainable operational change.

Looking Ahead

The conversations at HFMA AC26 reflected one of the most challenging operating environments healthcare organizations have faced in decades, but they also revealed a strong sense of optimism and resolve. Leaders are not searching for silver bullets. They are looking for practical, sustainable approaches that improve financial performance, strengthen operations, and support long term transformation.

The organizations best positioned for what comes next will be those that simplify complexity, align people and technology, and maintain an unwavering focus on measurable outcomes.

At Signature Performance, we believe the future of revenue cycle will not be defined by having more tools. It will be defined by the ability to turn insight into execution and execution into results.

Explore Signature Performance’s healthcare provider solutions to learn how our team can help organizations improve revenue cycle performance and turn priorities into practical action.