On this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, Sr. Editor and host Daniel Williams sits down with Aaqil Khan, RCM consultant at Collectly, to uncover the “sneaky metrics” hiding inside your revenue cycle. These overlooked indicators can quietly erode patient collections, increase costs, and create friction in the patient financial experience.

Aaqil brings deep experience in healthcare administration, Six Sigma process improvement, analytics, and revenue cycle leadership to show practice leaders where the real problems hide — and how to solve them using clearer ownership, automation, better data definitions, and patient‑centric design.

Key Takeaways

[02:13] Aaqil Khan’s background
How he shifted from a planned medical career to healthcare administration and revenue cycle leadership.
[08:13] The importance of estimate accuracy
Bad estimates create bill shock and lower collection rates.
[09:32] Why critical revenue cycle KPIs fall through the cracks
Competing priorities, systems issues, and fragmented ownership.
[15:01] "Sneaky metrics" and patient collection rate pitfalls
“Good” numbers hide deeper conversion problems.
[17:40] Impactful patient experience and payment reform
Patient experience and frictionless payments directly influence collection performance and loyalty.
[21:47] The hidden story inside patient AR days and patient inquiry volume
A diagnostic metric you’re probably overlooking.
[26:15] Looking ahead
The future of digital payments, automation, and behavioral analytics for patient financial engagement

Resources

Contact Aaquil on LinkedIn
Collectly
MGMA Revenue Cycle Management Resources
“All the Queen’s Horses” documentary on Amazon Prime
(Local scandal of Rita Crundwell mentioned in Aaquil's introduction)

Sponsor:
Capella University helps healthcare professionals earn their MHA on their terms. Their FlexPath MHA program is designed for busy MGMA members who want to advance their leadership skills with a flexible, self‑paced format — often faster and more affordably — without putting their careers on hold. Questions? Visit capella.edu/MHA to learn more.