54% of health orgs to adopt AI billing within 2 years: Tebra survey
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — Many healthcare providers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle the growing administrative burden of billing errors, which are draining staff time and resources.
Tebra, an all-in-one electronic health record (EHR) and billing platform that utilizes AI, surveyed 200 healthcare professionals and 800 Americans to gauge their experiences and perspectives on medical billing.
It highlighted that 54% of healthcare organizations plan to implement AI-driven billing systems within the next two years, while 30% have already integrated such tools
The report underscores an analysis of data from over 1,900 medical billing freelancers on Upwork to determine sought-after skills and average hourly rates.
Rising administrative burden drives AI adoption
Nearly one in five (18%) healthcare workers are said to be spending over 20 hours monthly correcting billing mistakes.
AI’s potential benefits include faster claims processing and reduced administrative costs, making it a strategic investment for long-term sustainability.
Billing errors and administrative overload continue to plague healthcare providers, with 64% citing insurance claim denials and 54% reporting delays in claims processing as major challenges.
AI solutions promise efficiency and accuracy improvements
AI-powered solutions are designed to automate error detection and correction processes.
“AI can reduce manual error correction by automating code validation, flagging and auto-correcting inconsistencies,” said Kyle Ryan, Tebra’s Chief Product and Technology Officer.
By implementing these systems, the likelihood of claim denials decreases while the process becomes faster, which creates additional availability of staff time for clinical responsibilities.
However, integrating AI into existing systems remains a hurdle for many organizations due to fragmented platforms and inconsistent data standards. High-quality, standardized data is essential for effective AI implementation, but incomplete patient records and outdated coding practices often complicate this process.
Patient experience suffers under current billing practices
The analysis also highlights that billing challenges significantly impact patients, with 45% of Americans receiving unexpected medical bills last year, one in five of which exceeded $1,000.
Seven out of ten patients delayed receiving care because they were unclear about their healthcare costs. The recommendation is to implement billing transparency features directly into EHR software for real-time cost estimation before patient interactions.
“Integrating billing transparency tools directly into clinical workflows would allow patients to receive real-time cost estimates at the point of care,” Ryan explained. This billing method prevents unexpected service costs, along with giving patients the ability to understand their treatment better.
The strategic value of AI as a regulatory compliance enforcer emerges because it combines cost-effective efficiency improvements with goals for sustaining the billing process of healthcare providers.
Ryan emphasized that the future of billing is not just about efficiency but also about restoring trust.
