A modern, integrated approach to revenue integrity

Editor’s note: Deanne Wilk, MPS, BSN, RN, CCDS, CCDS-O, CDIP, CCS, will present “Modernizing Mid-Revenue Cycle Integrity: AI, Audits, and Documentation Excellence” on day one of the 2026 Revenue Integrity Symposium, which will take place September 24–25 in Savannah, Georgia. Wilk is the director of CDI education at ACDIS in Chicago, Illinois. Get an exclusive insider’s look at what RIS attendees will learn and experience at the event, discuss highlights from the agenda, and more during our upcoming free webinar! Use NAHRI’s justification letter template as a guide to gain your organization’s support for attending. Consider applying for the NAHRI Scholarship, which awards free registration to RIS (the application deadline is June 8).

Q: In what ways does your session challenge attendees to think outside the box?

Wilk: This session challenges traditional siloed thinking by reframing revenue integrity as a unified, mid revenue cycle function that integrates CDI, coding, compliance, and revenue integrity into a single audit and education model. It pushes attendees to move beyond manual, retrospective reviews and consider AI enabled, cross-setting strategies that align inpatient, outpatient, and professional fee workflows while maintaining compliance and defensibility.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in revenue integrity and or revenue cycle right now? How does your session help tackle this?

Wilk: One of the biggest challenges is fragmentation across teams combined with increasing payer scrutiny and rising denial rates. Many organizations still operate with disconnected workflows, inconsistent documentation practices, and limited audit scalability. This session addresses that gap by introducing a modern, integrated audit framework supported by AI insights, standardized workflows, and targeted education strategies to reduce variability, improve accuracy, and proactively mitigate denial risk.

Q: What’s one of the key pieces of information you would like people to take away from your session?

Wilk: A key takeaway is that unified audits across CDI, coding, and compliance, when paired with data driven education and responsible AI use, significantly improve both financial performance and compliance integrity. Alignment across inpatient, outpatient, and professional fee is no longer optional, it is essential for sustainable revenue cycle success.

Q: What are you most excited about for this year’s conference?

Wilk: I am most excited about the continued evolution of revenue integrity into a more strategic, data-driven discipline and the opportunity to collaborate with peers who are navigating similar challenges. There is a strong momentum around AI, audit innovation, and cross-functional alignment, and this conference provides a space to share practical strategies that can be implemented immediately.

Q: What’s a great piece of advice you’ve received regarding revenue integrity and or revenue cycle? Or, what advice do you like to give people?

Wilk: Focus on integration over volume. Increasing review volume alone does not improve outcomes. The real impact comes from aligning CDI, coding, and compliance efforts, standardizing audit processes, and translating findings into actionable provider education. When teams operate from a shared framework, accuracy, compliance, and financial performance naturally follow.