3 Ways ENT Practices Are Prioritizing Profits in 2026

By Chloe From Clearwave | November 3, 2024

ENT practices face mounting pressure in 2026. Nearly 56% of medical groups report increased time in accounts receivable, while average practice operating costs have surged by 12.5%. 

For ENT practices specifically, these challenges compound as competition intensifies and self-scheduling becomes a patient expectation rather than a nice-to-have feature. The question is no longer whether to invest in digital transformation, but instead how to ensure those investments positively impact the bottom line.

Here’s how forward-thinking ENT practices are turning technology into tangible profit gains in 2026.

1. Maximizing Collections Through Patient-Led Workflows

The traditional front-desk payment conversation creates discomfort for everyone involved. Staff members juggle multiple responsibilities while trying to collect payments, and patients often feel pressured during face-to-face financial discussions. This dynamic leads to lower collection rates and frustration on both sides.

High-performing ENT practices have discovered a better approach through patient-led check-in software that removes staff from the payment equation entirely. When patients interact directly with self-service kiosks, something remarkable happens: they’re more willing to pay. 

One revenue cycle operations manager from a large-scale practice noted:

“From what I’ve seen, patients are more willing to make payments privately, via the kiosk, than they are when asked to make payments privately, via the kiosk, than they are when asked to make payments in face-to-face interactions.”

The best patient check-in software automatically maps payers to appointment types, ensuring accurate co-pay amounts appear in patient accounts without manual intervention. This eliminates the costly errors that plague traditional workflows – no more refunds, credits or corrections that drain administrative time and create accounting headaches.

How Can Real-Time Insurance Verification Become an Advantage for ENT Practices?

“Eligibility expired” consistently ranks among the top five reasons for medical claim denials, yet practices using intelligent verification systems have reduced claim rejections by up to 100%.

Real-time eligibility verification takes check-in efficiency further by determining accurate co-pay and deductible responsibilities before patients arrive. When about 20% of insured individuals experience coverage disruptions or plan changes annually, this verification becomes critical. 

Practices implementing patient-led kiosks with robust insurance verification built in see at minimum a 40% increase in collections, with monthly co-pay collection rates reaching 90% or higher. These improvements represent a substantial amount of revenue previously lost due to inefficient processes.

The Gold Standard in Patient Insurance Verification

Eligibility verification continues to be one of the biggest challenges for practices, large and small. After reducing claim denials and rejections significantly across practices, Chad Jackson, Regional VP at Comprehensive EyeCare Partners, shares the tools that have become their gold standard when it comes to patient insurance verification.

Watch the full conversation below and see how you can enhance experiences and revenue across the patient journey.

2. Optimizing Staffing Costs 

The best patient check-in software enables patients to take ownership of registration, data collection and payments without requiring staff oversight. Practices using this check-in software report workload reductions of up to 87%, supporting a 67% increase in providers without adding full-time employees. 

One director of finance from a large-scale practice explained that their previous tablet-based system required too much manual entry from staff…

“With the tablets, there was too much manual entry for our staff. With the kiosks, patients can more accurately provide their information, and we can move our staffing resources to more valuable areas, like verification, which helps us get paid faster and save time.”

The automation extends beyond registration. Automated appointment reminders reduce no-shows to just 5%, eliminating the revenue loss from unfilled appointment slots while removing tedious communication tasks from staff responsibilities.  Getting strategic with patient reminders, versus just checking the box, can have a significant impact on no-show rates and staff workloads. Chad Jackson, Regional VP at Comprehensive EyeCare Partners, shares how they adjusted their check-in and reminder strategies to get more done with lean staffing numbers.

3. Converting Digital Tools Into Revenue Drivers Through True Self-Service

Many ENT practices have invested in digital tools only to discover disappointing adoption rates and minimal operational impact. The problem is that it’s a partial digital transformation that creates friction rather than removing it.

Portal-based systems that require patient logins, scheduling tools that offer only request-based booking and tablet registration that still demands staff management—all fall short of true self-service. These half-measures frustrate patients who expect the seamless experiences they encounter in other industries, and they fail to deliver the efficiency gains practices need to improve profitability.

The solution lies in intelligent, patient-powered platforms that genuinely eliminate barriers to care. True 24/7 online scheduling uses workflow logic and appointment mapping to ensure patient bookings align with provider requirements and policies. This smart logic prevents the time-consuming backtracking and rescheduling calls that plague inferior systems. Practices implementing intelligent scheduling report staff time savings of 500 to 1,500+ hours annually and a 50 to 174% increase in monthly patients.

Taking the Profit-First Approach at Your ENT Practice

The most profitable ENT practices in 2026 will share a common characteristic; they’ve moved beyond viewing technology as an operational expense and instead treat it as a strategic investment in revenue growth and cost reduction. They recognize that incremental improvements to broken processes deliver incremental results, while reimagining patient workflows through intelligent automation drives transformational gains.

The path forward starts with an honest assessment. Evaluate whether your current systems truly enable patient-led self-service or simply digitize staff-dependent processes. Examine your collection rates, staffing costs and claim rejection rates with fresh eyes. Calculate the revenue you’re leaving on the table through inefficient workflows, delayed collections and limited patient access.

Then consider what becomes possible when patients take ownership of scheduling, registration and payments through a unified platform:

• Imagine your front-desk team focusing on complex problem-solving and relationship-building rather than data entry and repetitive questions. 
• Picture 90%+ collection rates becoming your consistent reality rather than an aspirational goal.

These outcomes are the documented results of ENT practices that have prioritized profitability through patient-led technology. 

Clearwave provides the patient-led platform that enables ENT practices to maximize collections, optimize staffing and scale efficiently. With intelligent kiosks, 24/7 online scheduling, and seamless integration with your existing systems, Clearwave transforms patient access into a profit center rather than a cost center.

Want to learn more ways ENT practices are maximizing profitability in 2026? Download our comprehensive guide, “5 Ways to Maximize Patient Payments & Boost ENT Practice Revenue,” to discover more proven strategies.