Navigating challenges and seizing opportunities

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Provider enrollment is a critical step healthcare organizations must complete before providers can deliver care and secure reimbursement. Delays in this process have consequences — frustrated providers, delayed patient access, and revenue held up or lost. Many organizations are still dealing with manual enrollment practices that leave significant gaps between intentions and outcomes.

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About This Report

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The findings in this report are drawn from HealthStream’s ninth annual Provider Enrollment Survey, conducted in late 2025. Over 450 provider enrollment professionals from a range of healthcare organizations, including hospitals, group practices, health centers, billing operations, and health plans, shared perspectives on their approaches and challenges. The resulting analysis sheds light on how everyday enrollment practices, structures, and policies influence satisfaction and financial outcomes.

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"While the industry recognizes the strategic importance of provider data, the survey reveals a growing satisfaction gap and a critical disconnect between enrollment operations and financial outcomes for providers and regulatory compliance risk and administrative cost for payers. Organizations that prioritize investing in integrated technology and formal data governance will not only close this gap but will build a significant competitive advantage by accelerating revenue and improving provider satisfaction."

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Tammy Hawes, Vice President, Payer Credentialing & Compliance Solutions, HealthStream

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Key findings:

• 88% of survey respondents reported being satisfied with their organization’s provider enrollment process.

• 16% of organizations reported they had less than $500,000 on hold due to enrollment delays, while around 17% had between $500,000 and a few million dollars on hold during the last fiscal year.

• Nearly 62% of organizations use standardized rosters, and while electronic submission is growing, 80% still rely on email for roster updates.

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Trend 1

The Cost of Delays

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Delays in provider enrollment have a direct, measurable impact. Longer enrollment timelines reduce provider satisfaction and can keep millions of dollars in revenue on hold. Every additional day spent waiting for enrollment or rework adds administrative burden, strains morale, and heightens compliance risks. Research consistently shows that even modest delays cost organizations thousands per day, ultimately affecting the ability to deliver timely care.

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Key Finding

• About 36% of organizations do not have access to data showing the average dollars on hold, making it difficult to quantify and address the financial impact of delays. Those that do track this data have a greater ability to identify their financial exposure. Nearly one in five organizations reported having between $500,000 and a few million dollars on hold for payers during the last fiscal year due to incomplete or slow enrollments.
  
• In this year’s survey, 80% of organizations said reducing enrollment time was their top process improvement priority, while nearly 12% reported enrollment-related write-offs exceeding $500,000.

Addressing delays does more than accelerate workflows — it helps reduce write-offs, increases satisfaction for providers and staff, and protects organizational revenue. The survey found that nearly one in five organizations face significant dollars on hold due to incomplete or slow enrollments. Teams spending extra hours fixing errors or tracking claims see satisfaction drop, both for themselves and for the providers they support.

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Trend 2‍

Streamlined Structures and Policies

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Organizations that integrate provider credentialing and enrollment — supported by clear policies and governance — report higher satisfaction, more efficient processes, and stronger financial results. Combining departments eliminates duplication, streamlines communication, and helps leaders set clear expectations for teams.

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Key Finding

• More than half of survey respondents reported their organizations have combined credentialing and enrollment into a single department, and those with integration saw satisfaction rates higher than organizations with fragmented structures.
• Formal governance also drives higher satisfaction. Standardized processes, clear guidelines, and data policies keep everyone focused on common goals. These disciplined approaches help organizations reduce ambiguity, adapt to complex requirements, and consistently support providers through onboarding and updates.

"Integrated teams and well-defined structures are the difference between constant fire drills and a truly strategic enrollment function. When teams work from shared standards, issues get addressed earlier and the entire process runs smoother.”

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HealthStream Provider Enrollment Survey Respondent

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Don't miss the rest of the analysis

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The cost of delays plus the push to streamline policies are just two of the essential trends explored in this year’s report. To gain a full understanding of the most urgent opportunities and challenges in provider enrollment — including strategies for complex operations, advanced financial visibility, and the evolution of roster management — download the complete report and access the full set of findings.

• More strategies for complex operations: Learn how leading organizations manage multi-state Medicare and Medicaid enrollments through process improvement and technology.
• ‍The power of financial visibility: See how tracking metrics like "dollars on hold" empowers teams to mitigate financial risk and drive accountability.
• Roster management in transition: Understand the shift from manual emails to electronic updates and how leaders are balancing standardization with payer-specific requirements.

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Download the Full 2026 Report Now

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Download the complete 2026 Trends in Provider Enrollment report for detailed insights, practical steps, and examples you can use to strengthen your provider enrollment strategy.