Navigating 2025 & Beyond: Get Ready. Stay Ready. by Jeff Nieman, CEO

As we near the end of the first quarter of 2025, we find ourselves in an exciting yet challenging period in healthcare RCM. Long-standing issues like staffing shortages, surging claim denials, and rising costs remain significant obstacles for hospitals and health systems. Meanwhile, new challenges have already emerged.

Just weeks into the new year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had adopted changes to Regulation V, essentially banning medical debt credit reporting and changing the RCM landscape. While the full impact remains to be seen, at the very least, it’s one more issue for healthcare organizations to stay ahead of. (Read more about this topic in this edition of Cycle Up’s Compliance Update column.) 

On a more promising note, AI and robotic process automation continue to be excellent resources for healthcare organizations. These advanced technologies are streamlining billing and collections, alleviating staffing shortfalls, and combatting AI-driven claim denials. 

As we move deeper into 2025, it’s important to keep an eye on where we are and what’s next. Here are a few key areas to watch as the year progresses:

• The Evolution of AI: AI is advancing beyond simple, repetitive tasks to become more capable and autonomous. Agentic AI, which features a network of specialized bots, is on the healthcare RCM horizon. When will it get here, and how quickly will you take advantage?
• The Expanded Use of Data: Identifying patterns in historical data will help healthcare organizations prioritize patient engagements and reduce denials. Moving forward, using data to work smarter and not harder should be atop everyone’s to-do list.
• Improved Patient Communication: From automated payment options to multi-modal conversational AI, patients expect seamless, customized communications. How well will your organization provide them?  

For a deeper dive into these topics and insight into what the future of healthcare RCM might hold, read our latest white paper, Future-Proofing Your Revenue Cycle: What to Expect and Prepare for on the Way to 2030. 

Find Your Edge

If the last five years have taught us anything, from the pandemic to the emergence of AI, it’s that change in healthcare RCM is inevitable. We’ve already seen it in 2025. Healthcare organizations that embrace the pending twists and turns, rise to new challenges, and invest in future-ready solutions will be the ones that thrive.

As you read this issue of Cycle Up, you’ll find insights covering a range of RCM topics. I hope they help inform your decisions as we all try to successfully navigate the opportunities and challenges that await. 

Enjoy this issue of Cycle Up, and thanks for reading!

Regards,

Jeff Nieman

CEO