755 practice managers reveal a good news/bad tech news reality as MGMA 2025 convenes in Orlando
ORLANDO, FLORIDA / ACCESS Newswire / September 26, 2025 / Black Book Research today released findings from its nationwide survey of 755 physician practice managers conducted July 15-September 15, 2025. The results present a split-screen view of physician practice technology: meaningful gains in digital adoption and compliance leadership, countered by alarming gaps in regulatory readiness, interoperability, and trust in artificial intelligence.
The survey results will be discussed as thousands of practice leaders gather at the MGMA annual conference in Nashville, beginning September 28, 2025.
The Good News
Digital front-end tools are taking hold. A majority (58%) of practices now use digital intake, eligibility, or payment estimation tools daily, up sharply from 34% in 2023.
Interoperability awareness is growing. Nearly half (46%) of managers said their vendor has briefed them on TEFCA and FHIR requirements, more than double the 21% who reported the same in 2023, showing real progress in vendor-client education.
Compliance leadership is emerging. Among large groups (20+ physicians), 61% now have a dedicated compliance or IT lead tracking regulations, more than double the rate two years ago.
Vendor relationships are strengthening. Almost 40% of practices consider their EHR/RCM vendor a "strategic compliance partner," not just a software supplier.
A pathway exists for AI adoption. While most practice managers distrust black-box AI prompts today, 44% said they would be more likely to adopt AI-driven decision support if vendors provided transparent evidence trails , showing the data source, logic, and limitations behind every recommendation.
The Bad News
74% could not identify the CMS deadline for mandated prior authorization APIs.
17% said they would replace their current EHR or practice management/RCM platform with another vendor if it guaranteed real-time FHIR-based data exchange.
Only 19% trust AI prompts in their current systems. Practice managers cited concerns about bias, lack of transparency, and no ability to verify recommendations against clinical or financial outcomes. Distrust is highest in small and mid-sized groups, where managers said they "do not understand the source" of AI-driven guidance. Vendors that fail to build explainable, auditable AI risk widespread rejection of their most promoted features.
62% underestimated penalties for information blocking, with most assuming fines below $100,000 (the real risk is $1 million per violation).
53% fear collections will worsen as medical debt reporting disappears from credit scores.
Less than 25% report that their EHR can segment sensitive reproductive health data, as required under new HIPAA rules.
By Specialty, Size, and Region
Primary Care: Highest confusion around prior authorization deadlines. (The 2025 Black Book Top Client-Rated Primary Care EHR/RCM: announced in Q1 was Veradigm PracticeFusion)
OB/GYN and Women's Health: Most exposed to reproductive health privacy requirements. (2025 Top Client-Rated OB GYN EHR/RCM was ModMed)
Behavioral Health: Lowest confidence in meeting data segmentation mandates. (2025 Top Client-Rated Behavioral Health EHR/RCM was NetSmart)
Large Groups/MSOs: Mostaware of interoperability rules yet reliant on vendors for guidance, 48% lack audit tools for compliance verification. (The 2025 Top Client-Rated Practice Management Software was NextGen Healthcare)
Rural Practices: Deepest concern over patient collections under medical-debt reforms. (2025 Top Client-Rated Rural Medical Provider EHR is Juno Health)
"Vendors are moving fast to address these issues , building real-time prior authorization APIs, expanding FHIR connectivity, and embedding explainable AI tools," said Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book Research. "Some platforms already meet these needs, but practice managers don't always recognize the capabilities that exist today. According to one third of integrated EHR/PM vendors we interviewed, their own clients underutilize features that could close compliance gaps. As MGMA convenes in Nashville, the critical challenge is not only vendor innovation, but also helping practices understand and adopt what's already in front of them."
Survey Methodology
Black Book conducted its survey from July 15-September 15, 2025, using online questionnaires, interactive research panels, and direct invitations.
Sample size: 755 verified physician practice managers across the U.S.
Response rate: 24% of invited managers participated voluntarily, considered a high response rate for healthcare IT surveys.
Independence: Black Book accepts no vendor sponsorship or incentives in data collection.
About Black Book
Black Book Research conducted this survey nationwide using online questionnaires, interactive research panels, and crowdsourced invitations. The results achieve a statistical confidence level of 95% with a ±3% margin of error, underscoring their reliability as a reflection of national practice manager sentiment. All participation was independent and unsponsored, and respondents were validated as holding purchasing or operational authority. Since 2011, Black Book has built the industry's most trusted database of more than 3.5 million crowdsourced healthcare IT and services user experiences. Vendor-agnostic and uncompromised by sponsorships, Black Book is recognized as the leading watchdog for transparency, benchmarking, and procurement insight across the healthcare technology sector.
Download gratis industry reports at www.blackbookmarketresearch.com
Contact Information
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SOURCE: Black Book Research
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/physician-practice-it-at-a-crossroads-black-book-survey-finds-progres-1077124
