Ask a Revenue Cycle Leader is a new series featuring insights from health system and hospital revenue cycle executives nationwide. Becker’s poses questions on the most pressing issues in healthcare finance — from payer relations and automation to workforce and patient experience. We welcome responses from all revenue cycle, finance and reimbursement leaders.
Question: What is one thing you learned in 2025 that will help you in 2026?
Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Paul LePage. Vice President of Revenue Cycle at UC Davis Health (Sacramento, Calif.): One key lesson from 2025 that will carry into 2026 is that standardization without frontline adoption does not change outcomes.
We learned that implementing new tools, workflows or policies in the revenue cycle only drives results when they are tightly aligned to how staff actually work day-to-day. The biggest gains came when we paired standardization with clear accountability, simple metrics (such as charge lag and clean claim rate), and ongoing reinforcement — not one-time training. In 2026, the focus must remain on operationalizing change at the point of work, not just designing it at the leadership level.
Dee Montee. Vice President of Revenue Cycle at HonorHealth (Scottsdale, Ariz.): In 2025, we dedicated time to understanding the evolution of artificial intelligence. We also inventoried and categorized the revenue cycle solutions our team used and those in demand. Establishing a common language and shared effort helped shape our 2026 strategic plans, supporting both operational efficiency and employee engagement. We’re excited to continue growing alongside the technology.
Next question: What is the single most important change revenue cycle leaders need to make to succeed in the next two years?
If you are interested in responding, please send responses to Andrew Cass at acass@beckershealthcare.com
