RCM Staffing Shortages Are Hurting Healthcare—Here’s How Automation Can Help

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is the lifeblood of healthcare finance, encompassing everything from patient registration and insurance verification to billing, collections, and claims denial management. When these processes break down, the ripple effects are immediate: delayed reimbursements, mounting accounts receivable, and patient dissatisfaction.

Today, a growing number of healthcare organizations are grappling with a critical challenge—RCM staffing shortages. According to the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), nearly 60% of healthcare leaders report difficulty hiring and retaining qualified RCM staff. With billing teams stretched thin and administrative burdens increasing, many providers are struggling to keep up.

The impact of this workforce crisis isn’t just operational—it’s financial. Every day a claim goes unsubmitted or a denial goes unaddressed represents lost revenue. And for providers already operating on razor-thin margins, these gaps in the revenue cycle can be devastating.

But there’s a silver lining: automation has emerged as a powerful tool to help healthcare organizations manage—and even overcome—these challenges. From AI-powered insurance verification to robotic process automation (RPA) for claim status checks, intelligent systems are reducing manual workloads, increasing accuracy, and giving overburdened teams much-needed breathing room.

In this article, we’ll explore the roots of the RCM staffing crisis, the hidden costs of manual workflows, and how automation is helping healthcare providers future-proof their revenue cycle operations.

The RCM Staffing Crisis in Healthcare

The healthcare labor shortage has been well-documented, but RCM departments often fly under the radar in those conversations. Yet behind the scenes, billing teams, coders, and prior authorization specialists are quietly holding healthcare operations together—and they’re burning out at alarming rates.

High turnover is rampant. In some hospitals and large medical groups, open positions in RCM roles remain unfilled for months. This isn’t just about hiring challenges; it’s also about retention. These jobs are high-pressure, deadline-driven, and often thankless. Staff are expected to navigate complex payer rules, follow up on denials, and juggle multiple systems—usually with limited support or outdated tools.

When key RCM positions go unfilled, providers face cascading effects. Claims may sit in limbo. Appeals get delayed. Patient bills go out late, or worse, with errors. The result? Slower reimbursement cycles and deteriorating patient trust. According to a 2023 survey by HFMA, 72% of providers cited RCM workforce shortages as a major contributor to revenue leakage.

These staffing shortages also create a vicious cycle: the fewer people on staff, the more pressure there is on those who remain. That pressure, in turn, leads to burnout and even more resignations. It’s a system straining at every seam.

In a post-pandemic world where both care complexity and payer scrutiny are increasing, the revenue cycle can no longer afford to rely on an overworked human workforce alone. If the current staffing model is unsustainable, it’s time to reimagine the workflow altogether.

The Hidden Costs of Manual RCM Workflows

When most people think of healthcare costs, they think of clinical care. But behind every medical encounter is a web of administrative tasks—tasks that, when done manually, are both time-consuming and error-prone.

In RCM, manual processes dominate: staff call insurance companies to verify eligibility, track down prior authorizations, or check claim statuses. They toggle between EHRs, billing systems, and payer portals. Each step introduces the risk of a missed detail or a delayed follow-up. For understaffed teams, these inefficiencies add up quickly.

Let’s talk about real costs. A 2022 CAQH Index report estimated that the U.S. healthcare system could save over $25 billion annually by automating just a handful of administrative processes. Manual eligibility checks alone cost providers an average of $10 per transaction—compared to $0.50 when automated. Multiply that across hundreds of patients per week, and the financial impact becomes clear.

But the costs aren’t only financial. Manual workflows also create inconsistent patient experiences. Errors in eligibility checks lead to surprise bills. Delayed pre-authorizations result in postponed care. And when billing issues arise, frustrated patients are more likely to switch providers.

Finally, there’s the opportunity cost. Every hour spent chasing claims is an hour not spent on improving collections strategy, analyzing denial trends, or supporting patient financial services.

In short, manual RCM workflows are unsustainable in today’s healthcare economy. If providers want to maintain efficiency and resilience, automation isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

How Automation Can Fill the Gaps

Automation is often framed as a futuristic ideal—but in RCM, it’s already here, and it’s delivering measurable results. By deploying software bots, artificial intelligence, and machine learning models, healthcare organizations are reducing the manual load on their RCM teams and accelerating reimbursement cycles.

Take insurance verification. Instead of placing calls to payer reps, automated systems can ping insurance databases in real time, confirm patient eligibility, and update records—all before the patient even arrives for their appointment. Claims status checks can be handled similarly, using robotic process automation (RPA) to log into payer portals, pull updates, and flag issues without human intervention.

Even more complex tasks like prior authorization are being streamlined. AI systems can now recognize procedure codes, cross-reference payer rules, and generate pre-auth packets in minutes, reducing a process that used to take hours—or days.

These technologies don’t just improve speed; they boost accuracy. Automation reduces errors from manual data entry and ensures consistent follow-through, which means fewer denials and rework. It also empowers staff to focus on higher-value work like resolving complex denials or optimizing billing practices.

For practices using tools like SuperDial, the benefits are clear: less time on hold, fewer back-and-forths with insurers, and a measurable reduction in administrative burden. In many cases, teams have seen a 30–70% reduction in manual tasks within the first few months of implementation.

Put simply, automation doesn’t just fill staffing gaps—it transforms the way healthcare organizations manage the revenue cycle.

Automation Doesn’t Replace Staff—It Empowers Them

A common concern when discussing automation is job displacement. But in healthcare RCM, the goal isn’t to eliminate human roles—it’s to alleviate the pressure that’s pushing skilled staff out of the profession in the first place.

Consider this: the majority of billing specialists don’t want to spend their day on the phone with payers or manually rechecking eligibility data. These are tedious, low-value tasks that often lead to frustration and burnout. Automation offers a way out—not by eliminating the role, but by elevating it.

When repetitive work is automated, staff can focus on tasks that require human judgment, communication, and empathy. Think of automation as a force multiplier—it doesn’t replace your team; it makes them more effective. Coders can spend more time reviewing complex cases. Denials managers can proactively analyze trends. Patient service reps can focus on supporting patients through billing questions and financial planning.

In fact, automation can help retain top talent. By reducing burnout, providing better tools, and giving employees more meaningful responsibilities, healthcare organizations are more likely to attract and retain skilled RCM professionals. According to a recent Becker’s Hospital Review report, organizations that adopted automation in their billing workflows saw both productivity gains and improved job satisfaction among RCM staff.

In a sector where expertise is hard to come by and turnover is expensive, empowering the workforce isn’t just good for morale—it’s good business.

Getting Started with RCM Automation

Adopting automation in healthcare can feel daunting, especially for smaller practices or resource-constrained health systems. But getting started doesn’t require a full system overhaul. The key is to identify high-volume, low-complexity tasks that are ripe for automation—and build from there.

Begin with a workflow audit. Where are your staff spending the most time? What steps are consistently delayed or error-prone? Eligibility checks, claim status updates, and authorization tracking are often ideal starting points, offering quick wins that build internal buy-in.

Next, evaluate technology partners carefully. Look for vendors that specialize in healthcare RCM and offer solutions that integrate easily with your EHR, PM system, and payer portals. Implementation shouldn’t require a massive IT lift—and it shouldn’t disrupt your existing operations. At SuperDial, we designed our AI-driven call automation tools to work seamlessly with your current workflows, enabling staff to offload repetitive tasks with minimal training.

Importantly, include your billing staff in the automation rollout. Their insights are invaluable in identifying pain points, and their buy-in is essential for successful adoption.

Finally, track outcomes. Automation should reduce manual workload, cut turnaround times, and improve key metrics like clean claim rate and days in A/R. Use these results to guide your next steps, whether that means scaling automation to other tasks or refining existing workflows.

In an era of persistent staffing shortages, automation isn’t just a way to survive—it’s a way to thrive.