This Voices is sponsored by Brightree. In this Voices interview, Brightree Head of Patient Collections Jennifer Leon shares her own story as a three-time cancer survivor, and how that influenced her career in the HME space. She shares her top four KPIs for measuring the impact of automation in payment patients, and explains the value of automation by breaking down a seemingly small piece of the HME business: postage.
HME Business: What experiences led you to Brightree and your current position?
Jennifer Leon: I’ve been in this industry for nearly 20 years, and I originally got started working for a small healthcare software company focused on improving efficiency in private-pay billing. That intrigued me because I do everything in my life with all the efficiencies that I am afforded.
Along the way, my perspective deepened in a very personal way. I’ve overcome cancer three times, and through those experiences, I saw the HME experience from the other side as a patient navigating the same systems we’re working to improve. That firsthand experience really shaped my interest in the patient billing cycle — understanding where it works, where it doesn’t, and how we can make it better.
All of this made me more interested in the patient experience and how fragmented it is. I started asking questions: Where do I see room for efficiency? Where do I, as a patient, experience friction? What can we do to help that? This all really began with my second diagnosis.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Automation is the engine for faster and more predictable patient payments. What KPIs should operators evaluate to know if their automation is working in patient payments?
Leon: To me, there are four big KPIs.
The first is the cost to collect. If providers continue relying on paper, they are subject to the USPS’s 10-year plan to continue raising postage costs, with increases scheduled each year for the next seven years. At that pace, a single first-class stamp could approach a dollar before too long. There’s also a cost to tracking down patients, which requires labor — the cost of which is rising steadily nationally.
The second KPI I like to track is collection rate. If providers are utilizing the right automated and digital tools, then that should drive a higher yield overall. Providers should also further analyze how they’re collecting. What percentage are they collecting through traditional means, such as mail, versus digital means? Providers can then separate the collection rate KPI into two different channels and really begin to see where the biggest bang for their buck is.
The third is bad-debt write-offs. Once they have more automation in place with credit cards saved on file and digital outreach to prompt the patient’s permission to process payment, providers will write off less in bad debt. This is due to the fewer steps needed to achieve payment digitally.
I’m sure there are others, but the fourth KPI I’ll mention is speed of collections. Providers need to measure the average time from the first communication with the patient to how soon the payment comes in. If it’s taking 45, 60, or 90 days to get paid, they’re not going to experience regular and predictable cash flow.
“Operational intelligence” is a term that providers are growing more familiar with. How can HME providers transform patient collections through operational intelligence?
Leon: We believe that giving providers operational intelligence takes them from a reactive process to a proactive one. Instead of pulling reports, reviewing payment trends and looking back at what has happened, they can shift to real-time data-driven decision making that is built into their workflow. By implementing more operational intelligence through AI and machine learning, providers can run their businesses more efficiently with a more targeted approach, and the ability to improve the digital adoption among their patient base. Collections become more efficient. They become more predictable. And providers have a better way to handle the ever-evolving reimbursement ups and downs.
Yes, those reimbursement ups and downs are going to continue forever. But we can give providers solid tools to add to their existing toolkit and make those tools really intelligent and smart.
Creating a patient-friendly financial experience is crucial to building trust with patients and their families. How is Brightree helping HME providers accomplish that?
Leon: By meeting patients where they are — and where they want to be contacted — providers gain trust. Brightree offers multiple ways for patients to view, communicate about and pay their bills, based on their preferences. This might be text-to-pay for those who prefer paying on the go, or our eDelivery and AutoPAY features for ease and consistency of payment. If family members are assisting with payment, the Brightree platform provides transparency for them. In a situation where a patient can’t pay the entire balance due, it allows for payment plans to be made within reasonable payment options.
I’ll give you a real life example: My sisters and I help our dad, who is 75 years old, manage his appointments and finances related to his health. He doesn’t have a smartphone. So for us, we rely on tools like the payment portal to see that his bills are paid. If I do need to make a payment, I can do that quickly with a few clicks while I’m going about my day-to-day.
This access and convenience for the patient also lowers the cost to collect and prevents having to have people chase down bills. That turns out to be a “win-win” for both patients and providers.
Do you have any favorite success stories related to providers making the most of the Brightree platform?
Leon: A few years ago, one of my providers had a brick-and-mortar storefront where patients could buy items like diabetic socks, in addition to other products and services. The provider set up kiosks in their showroom where patients were asked to check in. In that same interaction, the kiosks asked patients if they’d like to sign up for AutoPAY, eDelivery or text-to-pay right then during the intake process. This in turn allowed the provider to get ahead of the financial conversations, versus waiting to the point where they’d send a bill and ask if the patient wants those automated options.
From that point on, the provider didn’t have to have a conversation about payment, or have somebody from finance or collections reach out. The patients were able to set up a patient portal before they were even billed. This example underscores the value of automation and saving those providers that cost associated with multiple points of communication and outreach.
When done properly, it can really impact the provider’s efficiency and the cost of their solutions.
In the face of rising costs, it is imperative that providers can reduce administrative burdens. How is Brightree assisting with that, and what is the value?
Leon: The cost of just doing business for providers is going to continue to rise, especially for those providers that are still relying on paper. We mentioned the postage example, but there are so many other areas where costs are increasing. Brightree helps reduce some of that administrative burden by automating the workflow. With an end-to-end system, providers can streamline billing by sending automated email notifications, texting patient reminders and accepting payments digitally.
By having all of those automated and digital capabilities, we reduce the reliance on mailed statements and we can reduce labor costs associated with administrative staff and allow the patient to pretty much run independently. The value is predictable cash flow, higher patient satisfaction and overall retention of revenue.
Finish this statement: “In the world of patient payments, 2026 will be known as the year of…”?
Leon: Transformation.
Editor’s note: This Voices is sponsored by Brightree. To learn more, visit brightree.com.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].