Why We Survey the RCM Community Each Year and What It Reveals About the Year Ahead

Each year, we look forward to a moment that has become something of a tradition: asking revenue cycle leaders to pause, reflect, and share what they see coming next.

The revenue cycle does not stand still. Payer behavior evolves, regulatory pressure intensifies, labor dynamics shift, and technology capabilities accelerate, often all at once. For RCM teams, planning for the year ahead means navigating uncertainty while still being expected to deliver predictability, resilience, and results. That is why hearing directly from the RCM community matters so much.

Our annual RCM survey is designed to capture those frontline perspectives. By surveying leaders across health systems, physician groups, and billing organizations, we gain a clearer picture of the challenges they are facing today and the capabilities they believe will matter most tomorrow. These insights go beyond individual organizations. When viewed collectively, they reveal patterns. Where pressure is mounting, where investment is shifting, and where legacy approaches are no longer keeping pace.

Over the years, survey responses have highlighted recurring themes, including growing payer complexity, lack of end-to-end visibility, staffing constraints, and increasing expectations for faster, more predictable revenue. More recently, they have also surfaced emerging priorities such as real-time intelligence, proactive denial prevention, automation across workflows, and the role of AI in enabling leaner, more scalable operations. These insights help inform not only how RCM teams plan internally, but how the industry at large thinks about modernization and transformation.

That broader view is what makes this survey so valuable. The findings do not just reflect sentiment. They help shape conversations between finance, operations, compliance, and technology leaders. They provide benchmarks for what strong performance looks like heading into a new year and offer a data-backed foundation for strategic decision-making.

Now, we are launching our 2026 RCM survey and once again inviting the community to weigh in. Your perspective helps ensure the results accurately reflect the realities on the ground and the priorities shaping RCM strategies for the year ahead.

If you are involved in revenue cycle leadership, operations, or strategy, we would welcome your input. The survey takes just a few minutes to complete, and responses will directly contribute to a comprehensive view of where RCM is headed in 2026.

Take the 2026 RCM Survey and add your voice to the conversation.