The early results from a new, AI-enabled revenue cycle tool look great: Clinicians spend less “pajama time” on documentation, charts close faster, IT reports clean EHR integration, and Finance sees fewer denials with stronger net collections.

Then a payer flags unusual utilization patterns. A routine request becomes an audit. Leadership suddenly needs to answer two questions: Who approved this tool, and who owns it now?

That scenario is exactly why AI governance has become a priority for practice leaders. In her 2026 MGMA Financial Conference session with co-presenters Hemant Gupta, JD, IAAP, and Kathleen M. Premo, Esq., of Epstein, Becker & Green, EBG Advisors’ Michelle J. Wright, framed the issue not as a question of whether to use AI — “it's how to govern it in a way that supports and protects patients.”

While the industry moves quickly to add new tools, the goal of governance isn’t to slow adoption but rather ensure AI tool use is defensible as regulations evolve, vendors update models, and payer scrutiny increases.