Episode
The $150 Billion Blind Spot in Ambulatory Care That's Hiding in Plain Sight with Michelle Skinner
- Podcast
- MGMA Podcasts
- Published
- Jul 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1793
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://mgma-podcasts.transistor.fm/773
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Summary
On this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams chats with Michelle Skinner, MBA, BSN, RN, chief clinical executive at Teletracking , about the growing complexity of ambulatory care and what it takes to keep patients connected to the right care at the right time. Their conversation explores referral leakage, scheduling inefficiencies, and provider capacity constraints — along with practical ways health systems and practices can improve visibility, streamline operations, and protect both patient access and financial performance. Key Takeaways Ambulatory care now dominates the care landscape More than 60% of care is delivered outside hospital walls, forcing organizations to rethink how they coordinate patient movement across distributed networks. Referral leakage is a massive, often hidden problem An estimated $150 billion is lost annually due to patients leaving the network, while 38% of referrals never fully close the loop — frequently due to lack of visibility and communication gaps. The biggest issue isn’t staffing — it’s fragmentation Many practices feel “busy and full,” yet system-level data shows inefficiencies. The disconnect stems from siloed information, not necessarily insufficient effort or staffing. Referral coordination is overly manual and unsustainable Staff often juggle hundreds of referrals, relying on spreadsheets, duplicate reports, and inbox management — creating delays and increasing the risk of errors or patient drop-off. AI and automation can eliminate low-value administrative work Tools like automated duplicate cleanup and referral tracking can significantly reduce manual workload, allowing teams to focus on complex, high-touch cases. Scheduling inefficiencies are often hiding in plain sight Mismatches between…