06/16/2026
Most healthcare organizations measure provider productivity incorrectly.
They measure from a provider's first day.
The metric that matters is the provider's first paid claim.
After more than 33 years in healthcare operations, revenue cycle management, payer contracting, and provider enrollment, I've seen organizations invest significant resources recruiting providers only to discover reimbursement isn't keeping pace with provider activity.
The provider is seeing patients.
Claims are being generated.
Yet revenue is delayed because provider enrollment wasn't completed, wasn't started early enough, or wasn't managed proactively.
What surprises many healthcare leaders is that enrollment issues often don't appear as enrollment problems. They show up as delayed cash flow, growing AR, revenue shortfalls, and denial trends.
One question I encourage executive teams to ask:
How long does it take a newly hired provider to generate their first paid claim?
Many organizations track start dates.
Far fewer track the point at which a provider actually begins generating cash flow.
I recently shared my thoughts on why the gap between provider start date and first paid claim may be one of healthcare's most overlooked revenue cycle metrics.
Article link in comments below.
Let us know your thoughts.
