Survey findings show financial friction and staffing issues remain significant barriers
COSTA MESA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Experian Health today released its annual 2026 State of Patient Access Survey, revealing that while operational efficiencies and digital tools are driving measurable improvement, persistent staffing shortages and growing financial strain continue to impede patient access and overall experience. Nearly half of providers (46%) believe patient access is better than last year (up from 36% in 2025), while only 18 percent of patients believe it’s better (up from 16% in 2025).
Access to care challenges
Authorizations, insurance verification and the cost of care are the top roadblocks to patient access:
- 36% of patients have had difficulty with authorizations for a procedure
- 28% of patients experienced care delays due to insurance verification issues
- 73% of providers say patients at least occasionally delay or forfeit care if they can not get an estimate
- 36% of providers say regulatory changes create access obstacles for patients
Staffing shortages remain a major barrier
Though technology is helping to improve operations, healthcare organizations continue to struggle with workforce capacity and training deficits, which directly affect patients’ ability to receive care:
- 64% of providers say staffing shortages reduce patient access (up from 57% in 2025)
- 39% of providers report that insufficient staff training negatively impacts access
- Access to practitioners remains the top patient-reported challenge (27%), consistent for the fourth year
“Technology is helping close operational gaps in patient access, but the industry still must address financial and staffing pressures to truly streamline the patient journey,” said Mindy Fortson, Chief Client Officer at Experian Health. “With growing opportunities for AI to ease front-office workloads and reduce claims denials, there’s reason for optimism about overcoming some of these challenges.”
Financial strain is worsening for patients
Adding to the mix, rising healthcare costs are creating significant friction for consumers and affecting providers’ ability to support patients:
- 63% of patients say they would feel more confident if offered tailored payment plans
- 57% of providers say patients occasionally struggle to pay while 36% say patients often struggle to pay
- 32% of patients say paying for healthcare has worsened since last year
Among patients who say paying for healthcare has improved (14%) or stayed the same (54%) over the last 12 months, greater transparency around costs is a key reason why, particularly the ability to understand how much care will cost prior to receiving services (40%) and being able to submit registration information prior to the visit (25%) as top reasons.
Strategic focus areas for providers
As financial and operational pressures intensify, providers are prioritizing several urgent initiatives to improve access. Many of these revolve around processing data more efficiently with 44% saying implementing faster, more comprehensive insurance coverage review and delivering accurate estimates as top urgencies.
Additionally, to future-proof patient access and the revenue cycle, providers say automation (35%) and AI (28%) are non-negotiable to extend optimization in ways that were not previously possible.
The survey, conducted among more than 200 healthcare providers and 1,000 patients, explored sentiment on the non-clinical patient experience and how the chronic staffing shortage is impacting the revenue cycle. To download the full 2026 State of Patient Access report, click here.
Experian Health offers a variety of solutions to simplify healthcare and address the evolving needs of patients and providers including patient engagement solutions and AI-powered products, such as AI Advantage and Patient Access Curator, that reduce claim denials.
About Experian Health
At Experian Health, we serve more than 60 percent of U.S. hospitals and more than 7,500 medical practices, labs, pharmacies and other healthcare providers with data-driven platforms and insights that help our clients make smarter business decisions, deliver a better bottom line and establish strong patient relationships.
Experian invests in talented people and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data and innovate. As a FTSE 100 Index company listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN), we have a team of 25,200 people across 33 countries. Our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. Learn more at experianplc.com.
For more information about Experian Health, visit http://www.experianhealth.com. Learn more about Experian at www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.
Contacts
Sandra Bernardo
Experian
1 949 529 7550
[email protected]
