Moving Beyond Firefighting in Revenue Cycle Leadership

Bridging the Gap: AI and Digital Tools for Equitable Health Access

Sandra Gubbine · Vice President of Revenue Cycle, AtlantiCare

Sandra Gubbine shares how revenue cycle leaders should set priorities in a healthcare environment that is constantly shifting. She explains why sustainable process design and disciplined resourcing matter more than reactive firefighting, and why saying no is often the highest-leverage decision, especially during major revenue cycle system transitions. The conversation explores where patient financing and financial assistance programs fit into the RCM roadmap, including the reality of medical debt constraints and the importance of partnering with patients through payment plans and charity care pathways. Sandra also reframes denials as a broader set of payer behaviors, including record requests, payment delays, and DRG downgrades that can quietly create millions in revenue leakage. Sandra then walks through a digital initiative to reach uninsured and underserved populations, with lessons on vendor partnership, due diligence, and implementation discipline. She closes with a practical view of agentic AI in revenue cycle, using it to prioritize work for follow-up teams and proactively guide patients into Medicaid or financial assistance, and a leadership principle that compounds: self-reflection as the foundation for trust and change.