Waystar and Modern Healthcare Research Finds 42% of Hospitals Face at Least $1 Million in Annual Recoupment Requests

Waystar and Modern Healthcare released research on October 22, 2026 showing that 42% of hospitals and health systems face at least $1 million in annual recoupment requests, including 10% reporting $25 million or more. The findings were announced by PR Newswire.

What the Recoupment Study Found

The study, Recoupments: Gaining Visibility into Post-Payment Risk and Recovery, surveyed healthcare executives across hospitals, health systems, physician groups, ambulatory organizations, and post-acute providers. It found that 83% of healthcare organizations lack full visibility into the root causes of individual recoupments, while 90% lack full visibility into whether they could have been prevented. Payer recoupments are growing twice as fast as overall claim volume, according to Waystar data cited in the announcement.

Among other findings, 74% of respondents said post-payment adjustments affect cash flow forecasting. 64% identified eligibility and coordination-of-benefits issues as leading recoupment drivers, while 57% cited coding and billing errors. "Healthcare providers have made progress in automating how they get paid, but protecting that revenue after payment remains a critical challenge," said Matt Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer of Waystar. "These findings highlight why the next evolution of revenue cycle management must connect intelligence across the entire payment lifecycle."

Modern Healthcare publishes healthcare business news and industry recognition programs, including its 40 Under 40 awards and 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives list.

Waystar's Recoupment Manager Results

According to akta.pro company records, Waystar launched Waystar AltitudeAI Recoupment Manager in April 2026, describing it as the industry's first AI-powered solution targeting the $40 billion-plus "silent denials" problem, with reconciliation time reduced by more than 80% in early deployments. The same records show Waystar processes over 7.5 billion healthcare payment transactions annually and serves more than 1 million providers across 30,000-plus clients.

Waystar Recoupment Manager helps providers automate matching and reconciliation, gain greater visibility into post-payment activity, and identify recurring issues that can inform upstream prevention. Using the tool, Respiratory Technologies, a Waystar client, achieved an 86.5% recoupment match rate, reduced time spent per provider-level balance adjustment by 80%, and decreased complex adjustments by 10%.

Waystar's Recent Company Moves

In September 2026, Waystar was reportedly considering a sale that could return it to private ownership two years after its 2024 IPO, with bankers hired to advise on the potential deal, according to PYMNTS.com. In August 2026, the company added a former Salesforce executive to its executive team and elevated a longtime insider to key leadership roles, American City Business Journals reported.

Waystar's Third Quarter Results Date

Waystar will report its third-quarter 2026 financial results after market close on November 2, 2026, and will hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, according to PR Newswire.