58% of Dental Practices Commit to Automation, New 2026 RCM Report Finds

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zentist, a leading provider of AI-powered Revenue Cycle Management solutions for U.S. dental groups and DSOs, today announced the release of its inaugural 2026 Dental RCM Trends & Insights Report. The report examines the operational and financial pressures shaping the dental revenue cycle landscape and outlines how organizations can prepare for sustained performance in 2026.

The industry is split between those already using automation, those not yet considering it, and a meaningful segment preparing to adopt new tools in 2026. This signals both a growing interest in technology‑driven efficiency and ongoing hesitation.

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The report draws on insights from more than 160 dental revenue cycle and insurance billing professionals and is further informed by expert commentary from industry thought leaders.

Key findings include:

• Strong collections, unsustainable effort: While 63% of practices report net collection rates of 90% or higher, this performance is increasingly sustained through intensive manual labor rather than operational efficiency.
• Eligibility remains the top operational burden: 71% of respondents identified real-time insurance verification as their primary daily challenge. Continued reliance on batch processing and manual portal checks contributes to preventable denials and front-office friction.
• Patient financial responsibility is rising: 31% of respondents cited increasing patient out-of-pocket costs as the single trend most likely to impact business performance in 2026.
• Denials are increasing due to payer scrutiny: 78% of practices report a rise in claim denials or payer scrutiny over the past 12 months. Respondents attribute this largely to evolving policy interpretations around medical necessity and frequency limitations, rather than simple administrative errors.
• Automation adoption is accelerating: 58% of practices have adopted or plan to adopt AI and automation tools in 2026. Investment is focused on high-volume, repetitive workflows such as eligibility verification and payment posting.
• Different strategies by size: Solo practices are prioritizing patient payment technologies to secure immediate cash flow, while DSOs are investing in broader automation ecosystems to drive cross-location efficiency.

Commenting on the findings, Ato Kasymov, CEO and Co-Founder of Zentist, said:

“The data makes it clear that dental organizations are under increasing pressure. Patients are paying more out of pocket, payer requirements are tightening, and administrative complexity continues to grow. Practices are maintaining strong collection rates, but at a rising operational cost. We call this the ‘efficiency paradox’ — strong performance sustained by unsustainable manual effort.

The solution lies in deploying automation where it matters most. Organizations that want to remain resilient in 2026 must shift from manual dependency to scalable systems.”

The full report is available for download at: https://www.zentist.io/guides/2026-dental-rcm-trends-insights-report

About Zentist

Zentist empowers dental revenue cycle and insurance billing leaders to reduce human error, increase insurance collections, and adapt to a rapidly evolving reimbursement environment. In 2025 alone, the platform processed more than 11.2 million claims valued at $2.1 billion. Using intelligent RPA and early-stage agentic AI, Zentist delivers scalable automation across the dental revenue cycle, supporting organizations at every stage of growth.