Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health’s AI coding tool let the system absorb 78 new providers and 176 new departments without adding staff, according to results Trinity shared during its fiscal 2026 investor call Oct. 26.
“We prioritized integration in this area, given the impact that we knew it would have on process enhancements, and also the expected direct ROI to help support investments being made in other areas like clinical,” Executive Vice President and CFO Dan Isacksen Jr. said on the call.
Mr. Isacksen said Epic’s AI features are helping Trinity improve coding, denial appeals and prior authorization. Here are five results Trinity reported:
1. Coding staffing: Trinity’s professional billing code assist tool produced a volume-adjusted reduction of 16 full-time equivalent positions. The system needed no additional staff to support 78 new providers and 176 new departments.
2. Coding quality: The same tool improved coding quality by 10%, which increased revenue.
3. Appeals: An outpatient appeals assistant improved first-touch time for appeals by 20% and the appeal rate by 17%, reducing operational write-offs and vendor costs.
4. Prior authorization: In early results, a prior authorization and medical necessity tool led to a 17% increase in accounts authorized before service, which reduced denials, and an 8% drop in rescheduling caused by missing authorizations.
5. Prior authorization drafts: In September, the system’s AI drafted 82,600 prior authorization responses, 90% of which were accepted without edits.
More broadly, revenue optimization accounted for $790 million of Trinity’s $1.7 billion in fiscal 2026 operational improvement actions, the largest share of any category.
Trinity, which bills 26.6 million claims a year, plans to launch autonomous coding to reduce claims denials and rework.
The system reported operating income of $281 million (1.1% operating margin) for the 12 months ended June 30, up from a $12.2 million operating loss (0% margin) during the same period last year.
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