More than 600 healthcare revenue cycle leaders gathered in San Antonio, Texas, for the Waystar True North™ Client Conference 2026.
Across keynotes, client-led discussions, and hands-on workshops, attendees explored strategies to accelerate payments, reduce denials, and help teams maximize efficiency in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.
“We believe Waystar True North™ is the largest gathering of revenue cycle leaders in the Waystar community, coming together to focus on transforming the healthcare revenue cycle at arguably the most important time in our history,” Waystar CEO Matt Hawkins said. “Together, we’re solving some of the hardest challenges in healthcare.”
As organizations face growing reimbursement pressures and administrative demands, conversations centered on how AI, advanced automation, and connected workflows are driving stronger financial performance and accelerating the autonomous revenue cycle.
From improving efficiency and financial performance to exploring the latest AI-powered innovations and learning from peers, here are three key takeaways from Waystar True North™ 2026.
Watch now: Revenue cycle leaders on shaping the future of healthcare RCM at Waystar True North™ 2026
1. Stronger RCM performance starts with embracing change
Healthcare organizations are being asked to do more with less while navigating evolving payer requirements, rising patient expectations, and staffing constraints. Throughout the conference, leaders shared strategies for improving productivity, strengthening financial performance, and helping teams focus their time on what matters most.
A common thread in the discussions was that achieving meaningful outcomes requires more than adding resources. Instead, organizations are rethinking traditional processes, redesigning workflows, and embracing new technologies to improve efficiency and increase impact.
“The future is bright. It’s now. We’ve never been at a time before where we have so many technological advances.” said Sal Brown, System Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Mount Sinai Health System. “Now is the time to embrace it, to learn about it, and learn how it can make things more efficient within your organization.”
That optimism was also reflected in Waystar Advisory Board discussions, where leaders emphasized the opportunity to use new capabilities to reduce backlogs, accelerate decision-making, and help staff shift from repetitive tasks to more complex, higher-value work.
Healthcare organizations see stronger productivity, streamlined operations + greater agility
As the industry continues to evolve, new capabilities in AI and advanced automation are helping organizations optimize financial performance, reduce administrative burden, and build a more autonomous revenue cycle.
See the newest Waystar AltitudeAI™ capabilities driving meaningful results: Discover Waystar’s new agentic solutions transforming AI into action across the revenue cycle.
Read the release
2. The shift from reactive to proactive processes accelerates reimbursement + reduces complexity
As healthcare organizations look for new ways to accelerate reimbursement, reduce denials, and ease administrative burden, many leaders are seeking more proactive approaches to managing the revenue cycle.
Throughout the conference, discussions focused on moving beyond reactive processes and helping teams identify opportunities sooner, improve visibility into denial trends, and make faster, more informed decisions.
To address these priorities, attendees explored new AI-powered capabilities designed to help:
- Continuously monitor Medicaid eligibility and identify coverage opportunities with proactive insights
- Improve patient payment engagement through richer, more interactive communication experiences
- Equip CDI teams with AI-powered support that surfaces clinical insights and streamlines case reviews
- Reduce administrative effort and streamline resubmissions with automated claim resubmission workflows
- Accelerate denial recovery through electronic appeal submission
- Surface answers faster through conversational analytics with access to claims, remits, and denials data
Powered by Waystar’s network of 7.5+ billion annual healthcare payment transactions spanning approximately 60% of U.S. patients*, these innovations are turning intelligence into action.
The capabilities premiered during the Waystar Innovation Showcase and are available to explore in the Waystar Innovation Lab™, where you can see firsthand how AI is helping accelerate payments, reduce denials, and improve operational efficiency.
Innovations + early adopters
Preliminary results underscore the impact.
- Early adopter clients of Waystar Conversational Analytics have reported up to a 75% reduction in time spent on data analysis*.
- Additionally, Waystar’s agentic CDI capabilities can analyze approximately 30,000 data points in seconds and are expected to reduce review time by approximately 25%*.
Together, these capabilities illustrate how healthcare organizations are using AI to move from reactive processes to more proactive, connected operations that support stronger financial performance.
Discover new RCM innovations: Dive into the latest AI and advanced automation capabilities in the Waystar Innovation Lab™ or watch the Waystar Innovation Showcase on demand.
Explore Waystar’s new innovations
*Waystar data
3. Collaboration is essential to the next wave of RCM innovation
Through client-led sessions, roundtable discussions, and peer networking opportunities, members of the Waystar community shared strategies for navigating today’s revenue cycle challenges and preparing for what’s next. Those conversations went beyond sharing best practices, highlighting the important role healthcare organizations play in shaping the future of the healthcare revenue cycle.
Innovation does not happen in isolation. The strongest advancements are driven by the people closest to the work: revenue cycle leaders and teams who understand where complexity creates friction and where smarter, more connected workflows can create value.
Programs like Waystar’s Early Adopter Program give healthcare organizations the opportunity to provide real-world feedback on emerging capabilities while gaining early access to new innovations. For many participants, the program’s greatest value is knowing their feedback drives meaningful change.
“What keeps the team engaged is knowing Waystar is actually listening,” says Amanda Lowry, SVP of Revenue Cycle at OSF HealthCare, which has made meaningful gains using Waystar’s AI-powered platform.
Harnessing the impact of Waystar’s AI-powered platform
Gain exclusive access to innovation: Nearly 60 organizations are currently participating in Waystar’s Early Adopter Program, helping shape capabilities that move the autonomous revenue cycle from vision to reality.
How you can lead the way
Throughout Waystar True North™ 2026, healthcare leaders explored how AI-powered innovation, smarter workflows, and collaboration can help organizations improve performance today while advancing toward a more autonomous revenue cycle tomorrow.
Don’t miss your opportunity to help define the future of healthcare payments. Register for our next Waystar True North™ Client Conference at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida, from October 11-13, 2027.
