The 3rd Annual Risk Adjustment Innovations Forum in Dallas, Fort Worth this February brought together the brightest minds in healthcare to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges. As regulatory changes mount, litigation increases, and coding requirements grow more complex, health plans and providers gathered to share practical solutions across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, ACA, and the exchanges.

As a leading healthcare technology provider, Persivia was proud to participate in this event, engaging with industry leaders and gaining valuable insights into the evolving landscape of risk adjustment. The discussions reinforced our commitment to delivering integrated solutions that help organizations optimize their risk adjustment strategies.

In this blog post, we’ll explore key insights from the conference that highlight both the challenges facing healthcare organizations and the innovative approaches being developed to address them. From preparing for HCC V28 model implementation to streamlining multi-vendor environments, we’ll examine how leading healthcare organizations are optimizing their risk adjustment programs for success in this new healthcare landscape.

The Multi-Vendor Challenge: From Complexity to Clarity

Imagine trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle where each piece comes from a different box. That’s the reality many healthcare organizations face with their multi-vendor environments. During the conference, C-suite executives discussed the significant operational challenges of managing up to 30 distinct steps from provider documentation to CMS submission – a process that demands extensive coordination and precise management.

Bridging Clinical and Coding Excellence

A key challenge highlighted at the conference was the disconnect between clinical documentation and coding requirements. While it’s true that physicians and coders have distinct roles and expertise, leading organizations are finding effective ways to align these critical functions.

Advancing Healthcare Interoperability

Just as every component in a system must work together effectively, healthcare data needs to flow seamlessly across platforms. The conference showcased how leading organizations are improving system integration and data exchange.

Effective interoperability strategies require a comprehensive approach. Organizations should consider developing clear data flow documentation that visualizes how patient information moves between systems. Regular evaluation of integration performance helps identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement. Implementing protocols for quickly resolving data discrepancies ensures information accuracy, while tracking successful data exchanges provides measurable progress indicators. By focusing on these elements, healthcare organizations can achieve more reliable data integration and exchange across their technology ecosystem.

V28 Readiness: The Countdown to 2026

With V28 implementation scheduled for 2026, organizations are developing structured approaches to preparation. Conference participants emphasized the importance of comprehensive planning and strategic execution.

Organizations preparing for V28 should consider several key strategies. Implementing incentive programs can help engage staff in documentation improvement efforts. Developing dashboards to track readiness metrics provides visibility into progress and highlights areas needing attention. Regular testing with sample scenarios allows teams to practice new requirements before they take effect. Finally, establishing dedicated teams across departments helps coordinate change management efforts and ensure consistent implementation. These approaches enable healthcare organizations to methodically prepare for the significant changes V28 will bring.

Leveraging AI and NLP Technology for Population Health

Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing are essential tools for efficient risk adjustment. Conference discussions highlighted how these technologies can enhance documentation and coding processes while maintaining clinical accuracy.

Persivia’s Integrated Risk Adjustment Solution

Persivia’s CareSpace® platform exemplifies this approach by using advanced NLP capabilities to aggregate data from disparate sources including EHRs, EMRs, clinical data, SDoH, patient-reported data, and device data. This creates a comprehensive longitudinal patient record that provides clinicians with a complete patient picture. The platform’s NLP technology efficiently processes unstructured data, making critical patient history information readily available at the physician’s fingertips.

Building Trust Across Healthcare Stakeholders

Success in risk adjustment requires strong relationships between patients, providers, and payers. The conference emphasized that effective documentation serves all stakeholders when executed properly.

Persivia’s approach addresses this need through transparent, provider-centric solutions. CareSpace® provides both v24 and v28 HCC opportunities simultaneously, offering both prospective and retrospective views. This transparency puts providers in control, allowing them to accept suggested HCC opportunities or add their own. The white box nature of CareSpace® AI engine ensures that what happens behind the system is clear and understandable, building trust with providers.

The Future of Integrated Risk Adjustment

The conference clearly demonstrated that the future of healthcare risk adjustment lies in integrated solutions rather than managing multiple disconnected systems. This approach reduces administrative burden and improves accuracy.

Persivia’s integrated platform directly addresses the multi-vendor challenge that was frequently cited during the conference. By providing a comprehensive risk adjustment solution within a single platform, Persivia mitigates the complexity of managing multiple systems. CareTrak®, Persivia’s EHR-agnostic tool, enables bidirectional data exchange, ensuring that when a patient’s condition is updated, it’s reflected in the EHR. This connectivity is crucial for the V28 transition, as it ensures documentation changes propagate consistently across systems.

Organizations preparing for the future should assess how new technologies will integrate with existing workflows before implementation. Regular measurement of workflow efficiency helps quantify improvements and identify areas for enhancement. Implementing systems that can adapt to anticipated industry changes provides longer-term value, while creating environments to safely test new approaches fosters innovation without disrupting operations.

The Road Ahead: Transforming Risk Adjustment in Healthcare with AI

As we navigate the complex landscape of healthcare risk adjustment, remember that every challenge presents an opportunity for innovation. The organizations that will thrive are those that view risk adjustment not as a compliance burden but as a catalyst for positive change.

The question isn’t whether to change – it’s how to change in ways that benefit everyone in the healthcare ecosystem, with providers at the center of these efforts. Successful risk adjustment programs recognize that when providers are properly supported with the right tools and approaches, documentation accuracy and quality of care naturally improve together.

Contact Persivia today to learn how AI can transform healthcare risk adjustment and population health management.\