Medical practices are rapidly adopting robotic process automation and artificial intelligence (AI) in the revenue cycle. In fact, 32% of medical group leaders now say that AI tools are a top tech priority — even more so than EHR usability. 

So what do you do if your client implements a billing solution with autonomous coding, potentially without manual chart review? As the one submitting claims under HIPAA and payer contracts, your billing company still carries the compliance responsibilities. 

And let’s face it: you want to see your clients succeed. When they’re profitable, your business is profitable as well.

With the right strategy, you can protect your business, safeguard your clients, and cement your role as their strategic partner and trusted advisor.

Consider offering the following services.

If your clients are exploring their options for autonomous coding and AI, this is a great opportunity to provide assistance. Help them assess vendors by checking for:

You can also provide input on the scope of any pilot programs and advise on which encounters to include and which KPIs to monitor.

Recommend a split workflow where autonomous coding handles high-volume, low-complexity encounters, while expert human coders review complex cases. This is also critical for navigating payer-specific rules. AI may miss payer edits or LCD/NCD rules, and submitting claims without payer tailoring can drive up denials and create compliance exposure.

Explain to clients that AI-driven coding does not eliminate the need for compliance oversight. In fact, it makes it more important.

Many providers choose to audit 100% of AI-coded encounters at rollout and then taper to smaller, random audits once accuracy is proven. Position your billing company as the team to design and manage this process.

Your contracts must clearly define who is responsible for billing errors or compliance issues that stem from autonomous coding. Work with your legal team to include indemnification clauses that protect your company from liability tied to a third-party AI’s coding errors.

Track whether denial rates increase or decrease after AI adoption and pinpoint whether errors are linked to the tool. Your clients can ideally take this data back to their vendor to drive improvements, which also reinforces your value as an analytical partner. 

Remind clients that autonomous coding is only as good as the documentation it reads. Offer quick guides or host lunch-and-learn sessions to improve charting habits that directly support autonomous coding accuracy and prevent issues downstream.

Meet quarterly with clients specifically to review:

This keeps you embedded in their workflow and reinforces your oversight role. 

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for AI in the revenue cycle is to retool your own workforce. 

In an age of autonomous coding, your billers become invaluable revenue protectors when they focus on the following:

This evolution from task-doers to strategic thinkers is the key to future-proofing your business.

If providers see your billing company as a simple claims processor, AI will make you seem redundant. To thrive, reframe your marketing to highlight your new role as a compliance shield, revenue protector, and strategic partner. 

Consider building marketing messages around these core ideas:

Weave these and similar messages into your website, email signatures, slide decks, and social media. The idea shouldn’t be just a tagline, but a core part of your billing company’s identity. 

Watch our Tebra Talks episode below to unpack what’s really driving interest in AI, compliance, and cybersecurity — and how to separate hype from helpful tools.

Helping clients navigate autonomous coding and future AI-driven tools requires a willingness to embrace change. Your expertise can reduce client anxiety, accelerate their efficiency gains, and prepare them for a future where AI is standard.

As physicians adopt AI for more documentation and administrative tasks, your opportunity grows. As you proactively integrate with AI workflows and offer upstream support like documentation coaching, you position yourself not as just a traditional claims processor, but as a compliance-savvy strategic partner.

With the right approach and support from a partner like Tebra, you can build the foundation for sustainable, scalable growth for both your medical billing business and your clients as AI becomes the standard. Learn more about how your medical billing company can partner with Tebra today.