Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Don’t just show up—show up smart. Walk into MGMA with your goals locked in, a scoring sheet in hand, and vendors already on your radar. That way, you won’t get dazzled by shiny demos that don’t actually solve your problems.
- Skip the fluff, ask the ROI questions. “How will this cut no-shows? How much faster will my staff check in patients? What % of claims get approved on the first pass?” If the vendor can’t measure it, it won’t move the needle.
- Patient-first, practice-ready. The right tech should make life easier on both sides—patients get smoother scheduling and communication, staff get cleaner insurance workflows and less admin grind.
- Red flag alert. Vague ROI promises, murky pricing, high-pressure sales talk, or dodgy answers on compliance? That’s your cue to walk.
- And after the conference? Organize your notes, check references, and book real demos. That’s how you turn MGMA buzz into real results for your practice.
Introduction
The MGMA Leaders Conference 2025: Where “Next is Now” Isn’t Just a Theme, it’s a Wake-Up Call
Let’s be real. The MGMA Leaders Conference 2025 isn’t just another conference with endless booths and glossy brochures. It’s a gathering where healthcare leaders who are serious about innovation show up.
Orlando, September 28 – October 1, mark those dates, because that’s where the future of ambulatory care gets a test drive.
Now, here’s the catch. You’ll walk into an expo floor packed with vendors. Every one of them will tell you they can “transform your practice.” The real challenge isn’t finding vendors, it’s figuring out which ones deliver measurable ROI, and which ones are just adding to the noise.
That’s why this blog exists. Think of it as your vendor evaluation strategy playbook for MGMA Leaders Conference 2025. We will cover what to ask vendors before, during, and after the event so you’re not just collecting swag, you’re collecting answers that actually align with your practice goals.
Because when you know the right questions, vendor offerings stop being vague promises and start becoming solutions built for your future.
Why Asking Targeted Questions Matters at MGMA
If you are wondering “why strategic questioning matters at MGMA”, here’s the answer. This approach helps you:
- Clarify your objectives amid a sea of vendor pitches and product demos.
- Uncover tailored solutions that address your practice’s unique pain points.
- Demonstrate your expertise and credibility, elevating vendor conversations.
- Maximize time by focusing on vendors who align with your ROI targets.
- Lay the foundation for a strong post-conference action plan that drives meaningful outcomes.
Taking control of your vendor evaluation process means less guesswork and more confidence in selecting partners built to help you thrive now and in the future.
Preparation Before the Conference
Don’t walk in unprepared, set yourself up for success. Here’s your prep guide for MGMA Leaders Conference 2025:
- Clarify your practice’s strategic and financial goals. Define clear smart goals for medical practice growth and success, emphasizing measurable ROI targets linked to operational improvements and quality care.
- Research vendors in advance. Dive into vendor backgrounds and explore client success stories to identify candidates worth engaging.
Here’s a list of 5 Key Exhibitor Booths to Check Out at MGMA Leadership Conference 2025 Check this out and thank me later!
- Develop a standard evaluation framework and scoring system to objectively compare offerings during the expo and post-visit follow-ups.
Proper pre-conference prep protects you from pressure tactics and hidden surprises, helping you negotiate with transparency and power.
Essential Vendor Questions by Category
Complex Claims Processing
How can your solution help manage rising compensation costs and optimize workforce budgets?
Why: Staffing adds a lot of expense for practices. Automation helps reduce admin overhead, and scheduling ensures that labor dollars are spent efficiently—which together addresses rising compensation costs.
What to expect:
Vendor shows how automation, smarter staffing, and better scheduling reduce costs and cut reliance on expensive temporary staff.
Do you offer tools to support talent retention, performance management, or succession planning?
Why: High employee turnover disrupts care continuity and drives higher rehiring costs. Practices should look for a solution that goes beyond payroll management – it should be able to manage talent retention, as staff growth also matters.
What to expect:
Vendors presenting how their solution supports long-term workforce stability. Showcasing performance tracking, career development features, and retention analytics.
Their tool should have a dashboard that helps decision makers or leaders plan ahead, reduce turnover risk, maintain continuity of care, and lower rehiring costs.
Can you share data or case studies demonstrating cost savings for practices like ours?
Why: Real-world proof builds credibility and avoids vague promises.
What to expect:Vendor provides real-world case studies from practices of similar size, specialty, or region, highlighting measurable results.
Which tasks will be automated, and how will this enable staff reallocation toward patient-facing activities?
Why: Identifies operational efficiencies and ensures staff can focus on the patient journey.
What to expect: Vendor provides a clear breakdown of automated tasks such as appointment reminders, eligibility verification, insurance checks, and claims scrubbing. By removing these repetitive administrative burdens, staff can be redeployed to higher-value roles, including patient intake, education, and care coordination.
B. Patient Experience & Practice Efficiency
What impact does your communication platform have on reducing manual staff workload (e.g., call volume, time spent on follow-ups)?
Why: Manual processes drive burnout, increase turnover risk, and leave less time for meaningful patient interactions. By asking this question, practices can evaluate whether a vendor’s communication tools truly ease the administrative load and free staff capacity for patient-facing care.
What to expect: Vendor provides benchmarks such as “50% reduction in call volume” or “33% faster issue resolution.”
How accurate is your real-time insurance verification, and how has it improved first-pass claim rates or reduced eligibility-related denials?
Why: Eligibility-related denials are one of the most preventable revenue leaks in healthcare. Asking this question is essential for practices to assess whether the vendor’s verification tools are not only accurate but also proven to reduce denials and improve financial performance.
What to expect: Vendor shares measurable outcomes from existing clients. For example, real-time eligibility checks with >95% accuracy, a 30–50% drop in eligibility-related denials, and consistent first-pass claim acceptance rates above 95%.
How much have no-shows or cancellations decreased after implementing your scheduling and reminder tools, and can you share percentages or benchmarks?
Why: Practices can gauge whether the vendor’s tools deliver measurable reductions in no-shows and cancellations, while also filling last-minute gaps through smarter scheduling features.
What to expect: Vendor cites concrete outcomes, such as a 20–40% reduction in no-shows after implementing automated SMS, email, and voice reminders. The best responses also highlight advanced tools like digital waitlists or “ASAP lists” that backfill open slots.
What measurable improvements have your clients seen in patient engagement (e.g., satisfaction scores, portal adoption, communication response rates)?
Why: Patient engagement influences retention, referrals, and long-term practice growth. It comes from better strategies that promote better treatment adherence, improved trust, and higher patient satisfaction scores.
What to expect: Vendor shares quantifiable outcomes, such as a 20% boost in patient satisfaction scores, 70% portal login adoption, or a 25% increase in response rates to digital communications. Leading vendors may also reference improved Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and stronger online reputation metrics, linking engagement gains to both patient loyalty and practice growth.
C. Technology and Innovation Assessment
How do you address current cybersecurity risks, including cybersecurity ransomware prevention and AI-driven threats?
Why: Cyberattacks pose a serious business risk, so it’s essential to choose a vendor with proven expertise in managing and mitigating cybersecurity threats.
What to expect: Vendor outlines multi-layered defense (end-to-end encryption, AI anomaly detection, annual penetration testing, SOC 2/HITRUST verification).
Can your system securely integrate with emerging medical devices and technologies?
Why: Practices need interoperability for future growth. Asking this ensures the vendor supports growth without creating data silos or security gaps.
What to expect: Vendor demonstrates compliance with industry standards like HL7 and FHIR APIs, and provides real-world examples of integrating with remote monitoring devices, wearables, or specialty equipment. Strong answers emphasize both secure data exchange and scalability to support evolving technologies.
How does your product reduce documentation time and ease the administrative burden for clinicians?
Why: Documentation and administrative tasks are among the biggest time drains, often keeping providers from focusing on patients.
What to expect: Vendor highlights feature such as voice dictation, customizable templates, and real-time EHR data synchronization with % savings (e.g., reducing charting time by 30%).
What user adoption strategies do you have for overcoming staff resistance to change?
Why: Even strong technology fails if adoption lags.
What to expect: Vendor offers change management, super-user programs, hands-on training, and ongoing adoption performance tracking.
D. Financial Management and ROI Evaluation
How does your technology optimize revenue cycle performance, including claims accuracy and payer contracting?
Why: Billing errors and denials slow cash flow.
What to expect: Automated claims scrubbing, payer contract modeling, denial trend reports, with client ROI metrics.
What support do you offer for adopting value-based care models?
Why: Practices must shift toward outcome-based reimbursement.
What to expect: Vendor provides quality reporting dashboards, care gap analysis, risk adjustment tools, and compliance updates.
Can you provide examples showing measurable ROI in financial management?
Why: Decision makers want return-on-investment figures, not features.
What to expect: Clear outcomes: “Increased collections by 10%,” “Days AR reduced from 42 to 28.”
What solutions help reduce administrative costs while supporting staff well-being?
Why: Cutting costs must balance with avoiding burnout.
What to expect: Automation + self-service patient tools (portals, kiosks, e-statements), showing reduced overtime budget.
E. Compliance and Risk Management
Do you hold certifications like HITRUST or SOC 2?
Why: Security credentials prove compliance maturity.
What to expect: Vendor shares documented compliance certifications and renewal timelines.
How do you support implementation of the No Surprises Act compliance?
Why: Practices face penalties for noncompliance on billing transparency.
What to expect: Vendor provides good-faith estimate generation, patient cost calculators, and compliance monitoring reports.
How do you keep us updated on federal regulations impacting telehealth and Medicare reimbursement?
Why: Practices need agility to comply without scrambling.
What to expect: Regular compliance newsletters, built-in alerts to workflows, dedicated compliance experts on staff.
What are your incident response and business continuity plans?
Why: A security or downtime event impacts revenue and patient care.
What to expect: Documented IR plan, data backups in geo-redundant systems, defined maximum downtime (RTO/RPO guarantees).
F. Strategic Partnership and Future Readiness
How do you partner with practices beyond just the product sale?
Why: Long-term partnership = sustained value.
What to expect: Dedicated account managers, quarterly reviews, co-innovation workshops.
Can you support growth and changes in service mix or multi-location expansion?
Why: Practices scale—solutions must not lock them out.
What to expect: Vendor references scalable SaaS models and expansion stories.
How do you help practices stay future-ready with emerging industry trends?
Why: Future-proofing reduces frequent system overhauls.
What to expect: Product roadmap visibility, R&D investments in AI/automation, advisory councils.
G. Reporting and Analytics
What standard and custom financial and operational reports do you offer?
Why: Analytics enable smarter decision-making.
What to expect: Vendor lists pre-built reports (revenue, scheduling, patient engagement), plus flexible ad-hoc custom report builder.
How can your analytics tools help us monitor and improve KPIs tied to medical practice goals?
Why: Data must map to outcomes.
What to expect: Vendor demonstrates KPI dashboards linked to goals (collections per visit, staff utilization benchmarks, patient flow delays).
H. Contract and Support Flexibility
What skills will our team need to adopt your solution, and what training is included?
Why: Clarifies implementation burden and hidden costs.
What to expect: Comprehensive onboarding, role-based training programs, certification options, e-learning access.
How do you track support requests, and what performance updates can we expect?
Why: Transparency proves service quality post-implementation.
What to expect: Vendor offers ticketing platform, SLA metrics, monthly performance reports.
Is there a self-service educational content library for ongoing learning?
Why: Facilitates independent problem-solving.
What to expect: Vendor highlights knowledge base, FAQs, video tutorials, and best practice guides.
What are your contract terms, including flexibility and service-level agreements?
Why: Locks, exit clauses, or hidden costs can limit freedom.
What to expect: Vendor provides clear SLA guarantees, transparent exit policies, contract renewal flexibility.
What onboarding and implementation support is part of the contract versus additional costs?
Why: Many vendors upsell after the contract is signed.
What to expect: Vendor provides a detailed scope, clear distinction between included vs. add-on services, no hidden charges.
Some Additional Questions for Conference Engagement
What’s your approach to managing change during a digital transformation?
Why: Practices need reassurance of structured transition support.
What to expect: Vendor shows phased adoption model, ongoing training, executive alignment, staff success stories.
Are there exclusive offers or trial programs to accelerate adoption?
Why: Helps mitigate risk of investment.
What to expect: Flexible pilots, discounts, or satisfaction-based rollout guarantees.
What is your typical timeline for proposal development and solution implementation?
Why: Timeline impacts resource allocation and planning.
What to expect: Vendor provides detailed milestone roadmap (proposal: 2–3 weeks, implementation: 60–90 days depending on complexity).
Red Flags and Warning Signs to Watch For
Vendor evaluation at MGMA Leaders Conference 2025 is just as much about spotting warning signs as it is about discovering value.
- Beware of vague answers on data ownership and security.
- Be cautious if vendors cannot share clear ROI figures or client references.
- Lack of understanding of your specialty or practice size signals misalignment.
- Avoid vendor pressure tactics or reluctance to provide comprehensive proposals.
- Watch for unclear pricing structures or hidden costs.
- Investigate any recent negative client experiences or financial instability.
Post-Conference Action Plan
- After MGMA Leaders Conference 2025, consolidate your notes and scores using your evaluation framework.
- Conduct reference checks and schedule deep-dive vendor demos to clarify any questions.
- Develop an implementation timeline and change management plan to integrate your chosen solutions successfully.
- Ensure your next steps align with your medical practice goals and financial ROI targets.
Conclusion
Asking the Right Questions = Unlocking Real Value
The MGMA Leaders Conference isn’t about how many booths you visit or how much swag you stuff in your bag. It’s about the conversations you have, the targeted vendor questions that cut through the noise and expose who can really deliver measurable ROI.
Now that you’ve read this guide. You’ll walk in prepared, ask the tough questions, and walk out knowing exactly which vendor offerings deserve your attention.
Next Step: Book a Demo with Top Exhibitors like CERTIFY Health today and see how we drive real change for your practice in action.
Also, check out how CERTIFY Health is partnering with MGMA to showcase smarter workflows, streamlined patient engagement, and practice growth solutions.
