Unlocking revenue cycle efficiency with automated insurance verification

Insurance verification has become one of the most expensive bottlenecks in today’s revenue cycle. Staff navigate dozens of payer portals, spend hours on calls to confirm eligibility, and manually input data, only to see claim denials due to outdated or inaccurate information. It's a high-cost, high-risk workflow that directly impacts cash flow, days in A/R, and patient satisfaction.

For revenue cycle leaders balancing shrinking margins, administrative churn, and mounting operational complexity, this is no longer just a workflow issue. It’s a strategic opportunity. Health systems are running up to 10 administrative FTEs per provider, and with the turnover rate in admin roles reaching as high as 40%, manual verification is draining resources and creating preventable delays across the system.

That’s why leading healthcare organizations are turning to automation. Today’s solutions do more than scan insurance cards. They verify eligibility in real time, retrieve benefits, flag prior authorization requirements, and write structured data directly into the EHR. And they do it consistently, 24/7, without adding headcount.

This article gives revenue cycle leaders a practical lens into what’s possible with automated insurance verification and how to use it to unlock value quickly across your revenue cycle operations.

Why manual insurance verification costs more than you think

The traditional method of verifying a patient’s insurance is highly manual and prone to errors. Staff must collect and verify details, often involving phone calls to payers or logging into multiple portals that don’t connect to the EHR. Manual data entry increases the likelihood of mistakes, such as incorrect policy numbers, expired coverage, or mismatched patient information, which can lead to denied claims, delayed reimbursements, or unexpected out-of-pocket costs for patients. This impacts both revenue cycle performance and patient trust. 

Verifying insurance at the front desk can also slow down registration and check-in, leading to longer wait times and reduced patient satisfaction. Manual methods often don’t provide immediate feedback on coverage status or benefits, which makes it difficult to give patients accurate cost estimates in advance. 

As patient volumes grow, manual verification becomes increasingly unsustainable, requiring more staff and increasing operational costs. 

The result is a slower revenue cycle, more manual work for you and your team, and dissatisfied patients who may end up paying more for their care than needed. If this sounds familiar, automation may be a necessary upgrade for your organization. 

How automated insurance verification works

Automating the insurance verification workflow helps overcome these challenges by improving speed and accuracy, which leads to improved financial outcomes. 

At Notable, automated insurance verification is handled by AI-powered Agents as part of the Platform’s front desk and registration workflows. The process works by:

• Capturing insurance information: Patients upload images of their insurance cards digitally, often as part of the pre-visit or digital check-in flow.
• Extracting data: AI Agents automatically read and extract relevant information from the insurance card.
• Verifying eligibility: The Intelligent Agents then verify the patient’s coverage and eligibility details directly with the payer, ensuring that accurate insurance information is on file before the visit. 
• Documenting in the EHR: Verified insurance data is written directly into the EHR for staff to access—no manual entry required.

This decreases insurance-related errors and accelerates check-in processes, improving the overall experience for patients and staff while laying the groundwork for stronger financial performance.

Real insurance verification automation results

Automating insurance verification offers several key benefits for healthcare organizations, and these benefits multiply when verification is integrated into the broader patient intake process.

• Accurate information: Automation ensures coverage and eligibility are confirmed before the visit. This reduces denials, accelerates billing, and protects against revenue leakage.
• Improved payment collection: With eligibility confirmed during intake, providers can deliver precise patient cost estimates and collect copays or outstanding balances upfront. This improves financial transparency, enhances cash flow, and minimizes the need for post-visit collections.
• Streamlined intake process: A digital, automated workflow that includes both insurance card capture and registration reduces manual errors, shortens wait times, and ensures clean data enters the billing pipeline, supporting faster and more accurate claims processing.
• Enhanced patient experience: Patients can check in faster and spend less time waiting. A seamless intake process reduces frustration, increases satisfaction, and improves retention while reducing no-shows, key drivers of financial performance.

Together, these improvements free up staff from repetitive tasks and allow them to focus on more meaningful patient interactions, adding operational capacity without adding headcount.

Real-world health systems are already seeing the results:

• MUSC Health automates over 110,000 monthly registrations, where patients sign all documents, scan insurance, and get reminders for their appointment. It’s resulted in over 5,000 staff hours per month reallocated to higher-value patient tasks, and a 98% patient satisfaction rate. 
• Patients at North Kansas City Hospital have experienced a 90% reduction in check-in time, with the hospital now pre-registering 80% of its patients, including insurance verification in that process. 

Get started with automation today 

Manual insurance verification is no longer just inefficient, it’s unsustainable. For revenue cycle leaders facing increasing pressure to improve financial performance, automated insurance verification offers a proven path forward. 

Now is the time to move beyond manual work and lead your revenue cycle into the future. Get in touch today to learn more.