Running a scaling, multi-location practice means time is your most valuable asset. We know you don't have hours to scour the web for industry news, so we've hand-picked insights for you.
From how AI can save you admin money to a Medicare payment category that doesn't exist yet, here are the most actionable reads you need to stay ahead this week.
A new projection puts the value of full AI adoption across health care at up to $811 billion a year, and the single biggest percentage cut is in administrative expense, close to 20% at the high end. That's the category your front desk lives in. But the estimate only holds where the work itself gets redesigned around the tool. Buying software and leaving the process untouched is what puts you at the bottom of the range. (via NEJM Catalyst)
Vendor conversations tend to focus on what an AI tool can do. This piece offers two sharper questions, borrowed from how the law thinks about dogs: how much does it do without a person, and who's on the hook when it acts. Those are separate from capability, and they're what actually separate a tool you'd put in front of patients from one you wouldn't. (via Harvard Gazette)
CMS has proposed a payment category for care delivered by an algorithm rather than a person, filed under the name Software as a Medical Service. It showed up in next year's hospital outpatient rule, covers a short list of codes, and is being called a temporary first step. Outpatient rehab isn't included yet. If it reaches you, it comes through the physician fee schedule, so that's the one to watch. (via Second Opinion)
You send a clean authorization and it comes back asking for information the payer already has. The cause is structural: payers bought AI as a pile of separate tools and never connected any of it to the work itself. The same thing holds on your end. A front desk tool that can't reach billing doesn't remove work, it moves it. (via HIT Consultant)
A breakdown of what in the name of AI you should actually be paying attention to: AI-native healthcare and the human-agent workforce
“AI-native healthcare” may sound impressive, but the key takeaway is clear: AI works best with clean, connected, and usable data. Winning companies won’t just add agents to chaotic systems. They’ll redesign workflows so humans and AI can collaborate safely and effectively.
Verdict: ✅ Worth paying attention to
Most practices pick technology first and figure out where it fits afterward. Done that way, the tool doesn't take work off your staff. It adds a layer, with a new system running alongside the workaround nobody ever retired.
Christopher Gaskins, PhD, OTR/L, runs a mobile neurorehabilitation practice called Neurosuite and did his doctoral research on cognitive load. He has watched this play out. "Even with technological advances, technology is not being implemented correctly," Gaskins says.
His fix is sequence. Map where time and errors actually pile up in your practice. Decide what you won't compromise on. Then, judge tools against what you documented instead of against the demo.
The full piece walks through all four steps, including what to watch after go-live.
Thanks for joining us for another edition of Practice Independence — we’ll see you next week!
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