A lot of practices are quietly paying for an AI tool and the staff it was supposed to replace. Same problem, double the cost. In this episode, Dr. Heather Signorelli talks with Simon (Dorien Simon) of Narrows Advisors about where AI actually works in medical billing right now, where it does not, and how to avoid the mistakes that waste the most budget. The Last Mile Gap: EHRs and most AI vendors handle a large share of a workflow automatically, but the final action (officially submitting an appeal, adding the codes, hitting send to the clearinghouse) is often still a human decision. Simon walks through why vendors tend to stop short of full ownership. Buy vs Build Isn't the Real Question: Simon explains why practices get stuck comparing vendor feature lists instead of first mapping their own denial and labor data, and why that order matters. Where AI Is Actually Ready: Eligibility verification and AI scribes are the two most mature use cases today. AR and denial management, despite being everyone's biggest pain point, remain the messiest and least automatable part of revenue cycle. The Double-Paying Trap: Buying an AI license without reducing your team's hours means paying for the software and the staff. Simon breaks down how to actually estimate expected time savings before signing anything. Change Management Is the Real Blocker: If staff believe AI is coming for their job, they will not train it well, or they will leave. The reframe that works: this changes the work, not the headcount. You Need a Referee: Vendor integration typically takes months, not the “seven days to live” promised on a sales page, and it needs one internal owner coordinating IT, testing, and the vendor relationship. Three Actions This Week • Map where your team's time and your denial volume actually intersect, before you take a single vendor call. • Ask any AI vendor pitching you exactly what percentage of the workflow they handle end to end, and get specific about what is left for your team. • Name one person internally, even part time, who will own vendor integration, testing, and IT coordination before you sign anything. Resources (CTA priority order) 1. 30-Day Revenue Recovery Plan: eligibility.natrevmd.com/nrc/-30day-revenue-recovery-plan (redacted 2. Watch the NatRevMD Briefing (VSL): eligibility.natrevmd.com/vsl (redacted 3. Payment Posting Audit Checklist: eligibility.natrevmd.com/payment-posting-checklist (redacted 4. RECOVER Diagnostic Quiz: natrevmd.com/quiz (redacted 5. Guest resource: Narrows Advisors, narrowsadvisors.com (redacted