.png)
.png?width=171&height=239&name=2025%20Trends%20Report%20Nav%20(1).png)
TRILLIANT HEALTH RESEARCH
Research
Timely trend analysis. Free in your inbox.
Receive weekly studies from Trilliant Health.
Increased Outpatient Coding Intensity Following Hospital Adoption of AI-Enabled Scribing Warrants Examination but Likely Reflects Enhanced Rules-Based Documentation
Read the StudyMarch 19, 2026
Patient Care Generates Less Than Half of Gross Revenue for Most Hospitals
Hospital revenue goes far beyond patient care. Discover how non-clinical income, labor costs and operating margins shaped the financial health of U.S. hospitals in 2024.
Katie Patton • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesMarch 12, 2026
Increased Outpatient Coding Intensity Following Hospital Adoption of AI-Enabled Scribing Warrants Examination but Likely Reflects Enhanced Rules-Based Documentation
Adoption of AI-enabled scribing in hospitals increased outpatient coding intensity, likely due to more accurate documentation, raising questions about impact on billing, reimbursement and fraud risks.
Katie Patton
StudiesMarch 05, 2026
As RPM Growth Slows, Medicare Expands Coverage While Commercial Insurers Question Effectiveness
RPM growth has slowed, with Medicare expanding coverage, but commercial insurers restricting requirements due to mixed evidence of effectiveness, concentrating use in cardiovascular and metabolic cases.
Katie Patton • Austin Miller • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesFebruary 19, 2026
Intra-Market Rate Variation Can Lead to Spending Differences that Exceed $102M for a Single Orthopedic Procedure in Dallas-Fort Worth
Health plan price transparency data reveals notable price variation for the same procedures, enabling employers to cut costs by steering employees to high-value providers and optimizing network choices.
Katie Patton • Jim Browne • Chris Rash • David Taylor • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesFebruary 12, 2026
In the Same Market, Medicare Episodes of Care Can Range Up to 80x
Surgical volume for mandatory TEAM surgical procedures varies widely (one to 3,300 eligible Medicare procedures per hospital), while 30-day Medicare episode costs can differ up to 80x within the same market (e.g., $1,829 to $146,069 for a spinal fusion). These cost disparities exist despite minimal variation in quality. Even hospitals with strong occupancy and margins can exhibit inefficient downstream care. Consequently, TEAM reimbursement outcomes will be driven largely by cost management rather than quality differentiation.
Katie Patton • Austin Miller • David Taylor • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesFebruary 05, 2026
While Quality Is Relatively Comparable Across TEAM Hospitals, Financial Health Is Highly Variable
An analysis of 724 hospitals in CMS’s mandatory TEAM model, examining operating margins, readmissions, payer mix and more.
Katie Patton • Allison Oakes, Ph.D. • David Taylor
StudiesJanuary 29, 2026
More Americans Are Dying at Home but Hospital-Based Deaths Remain Most Common
Place of death in the U.S. is shifting: hospitals remain most common (34.6% in 2024), while deaths at home rose to 34.3% from 2018–2024.
Katie Patton • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesJanuary 22, 2026
Primary Care Panels Vary in Size Based on Demographic Factors and Employment Structure
Primary care patient panels vary widely across practice settings, with employment status emerging as a crucial indicator.
Katie Patton • Colin Macon • Allison Oakes, Ph.D.
StudiesJanuary 15, 2026
Potential Revenue Impacts of Elimination of the Medicare Inpatient Only List
The average difference between IPPS and OPPS payment rates across all 285 procedures is -$16,334 per procedure.
Katie Patton • Allison Oakes, Ph.D. • David Taylor
Interested in citing our research? Please follow this guide.
