New Survey Reveals Significant Gaps in Financial Health Management for Physician Practices

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A new industry survey from Encoda, a leader in physician practice financial health management, exposes a critical disconnect between the financial aspirations of medical practices and their operational reality. Conducted by Sage Growth Partners, the survey gathered insights from 84 physician practice leaders, administrators, and c-suite executives by exploring the challenges and priorities shaping financial health. Respondents represented a mix of single-specialty and multi-specialty practices, providing a comprehensive view of the current state of revenue cycle management. 

“Our research highlights the critical need for practices to move beyond reactive financial management,” said Lisa Taylor, CEO of Encoda. “The findings reveal that many organizations are struggling to achieve the clarity, control, and confidence necessary to navigate today’s financial challenges. By addressing these gaps, practices can unlock their full potential and build a foundation for long-term success.”

The State of Financial Health: Insights and Strategies for Practice Leaders highlights urgent deficiencies in three key areas of financial health—clarity, control, and confidence—suggesting that many organizations lack the tools necessary to maintain financial health in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.

The survey results paint a picture of a reactive industry struggling to keep pace with financial demands. Despite the availability of modern technology, many practices are unable to achieve the level of clarity required to identify revenue risks before they become losses. Only 7% of respondents expressed extreme confidence in their ability to accurately identify where revenue is delayed, underpaid, or at risk. This lack of transparency forces leaders to make decisions based on incomplete or outdated information, severely hindering strategic growth.

Control over the revenue cycle appears equally elusive for most organizations. The data reveals that the speed at which practices can respond to issues is dangerously slow. Just 4% of practices reported the ability to detect and respond to revenue cycle anomalies in real-time, while only 15% can do so within one to two days. This delay means that preventable errors often compound into significant revenue leakage before they are even detected, underscoring the need for more agile, automated intervention strategies.

Confidence, the third pillar of financial health, remains a significant challenge. Fewer than half of practice leaders (47%) expressed confidence in their current financial reporting to accurately identify issues and pinpoint financial risks. Without reliable data and efficient processes, leaders struggle to forecast performance or navigate payer changes effectively. The survey suggests that moving from reactive firefighting to a proactive, data-driven financial health management approach is essential for survival.

These findings serve as a wake-up call for the industry to embrace a new standard of financial health management. By closing the gaps in clarity, control, and confidence, practices can secure their revenue and build a resilient foundation for the future. The full report offers a deeper dive into these metrics and provides a roadmap for achieving sustainable financial health.

To access the complete survey findings and learn more about the state of financial health in physician practices, visit https://encoda.com/report-the-state-of-financial-health/.

About Encoda

Encoda empowers physician practices to achieve lasting financial health by delivering unmatched visibility and control through its proven framework of Actionable Revenue Transparency. By unifying revenue cycle data, streamlining workflows, and automating processes from a single interface, Encoda helps medical practices sustain profitability, reduce risk, and make confident financial decisions. Bridging the gaps between practice management systems, clearinghouses, and payers, Encoda’s intuitive, rules-based platform enables practices to optimize billing, improve cash flow, and capture the full value of their services—turning complex revenue cycle challenges into sustainable financial health.

For more information, visit www.encoda.com

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SOURCE Encoda LLC