Independent healthcare providers already operate on thin margins where every dollar counts. Tennr's Benchmark Report reveals they lose 10% of their revenue every year to preventable paperwork mistakes

New study shows how preventable errors in claims submissions and referral processing hurt independent healthcare businesses and leave patients without care

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tennr, the company automating the labor-intensive workflows of referral-based care, today releases its first Healthcare Provider Benchmark Report. The study uncovers a massive problem: independent healthcare providers lose over 10% (or $2.2 million) every year due to claim denials that inevitably happen while managing their backlog of patient referrals.

Unlike large hospital systems that can better absorb administrative overhead, independent providers operate on razor-thin margins where every dollar counts. The financial strain they experience threatens their ability to remain in business, and more importantly, limits patient access to care. Even more concerning, existing data shows that almost half (46%) of all referrals disappear into a black hole (NIH), leaving patients without the care they need.

Tennr's Healthcare Provider Benchmarking Report analyzed data from healthcare organizations using its platform to process tens of millions of patients, examining why insurance claims get denied and tracing those denials back to specific paperwork problems that happen early in the process. The study compared performance before and after using Tennr's platform while adjusting for organizational differences, such as their size, types of insurance they work with, services they provide, and where they're located.

Tennr's key findings

10% (or $2.2 million) of their revenue lost annually: Independent providers lose this amount in revenue each year when intake paperwork is missing the information that insurers require to approve a patient's treatment. These errors delay care and can cause patients to skip care altogether.

34% fewer preventable denials: With Tennr, independent providers reduce their claims denial rate and recover some of the revenue that would otherwise be lost.

Half of all referrals disappear: The healthcare industry faces a significant "leakage" problem where referrals simply fall through the cracks:

• Industry average: Only 54% of faxed referrals actually turn into orders or scheduled care
• Providers using Tennr to process their referrals and streamline the intake process convert 68% or more patients

Productivity varies widely: The study reveals massive differences in how much patient intake and processing teams can handle:

• Traditional manual processing averages fewer than 100 orders per full-time employee weekly
• Providers using Tennr to process their referrals handle nearly 300 orders per full-time employee weekly
• One provider processed 157% more referrals after eliminating their referral backlog, freeing up bandwidth to focus on patient engagement and education. Providers are able to convert more patients at scale, making sure more people are seen in a timely manner.

The 'hidden loss fallacy'

Independent providers are being swallowed up by national chains, and those that remain are struggling to stay afloat. Tennr levels the playing field by giving independents enterprise-grade tools to compete, keep their doors open, and preserve competition - which benefits both patients and pricing.

"Most providers are dealing with what we call the 'hidden loss fallacy', where they're pouring time and money into fixing billing issues after the fact, when the real opportunity is catching mistakes and missed patients earlier in the referral process," said Trey Holterman, co-founder and CEO of Tennr. "Our data shows that the majority of costly claim denials are conceived during the initial referral intake process, not during billing."

Why it matters for patients and payers

As denial rates continue to rise, making referral processes more efficient is an urgent priority for the healthcare industry. Nearly 1 in 5 claim submissions are now denied on first pass, with analysts estimating a $20 billion savings opportunity from automating the manual processes driving these errors. Even small improvements in patient processing help independent providers recover some of their losses, which reduces costly hospital admissions and improves patient access.

"When independent providers go out of business, patients feel the impact. They're left with fewer options for care and higher costs," Holterman added. "Our data shows that solving the referral processing problem helps independent providers grow their bottom line and patients maintain access to care."

About Tennr
Tennr automates patient processing for referral-based care. Whether referrals come in by fax, email, or e-portal, Tennr helps providers convert more patients, cut denials, and deliver care without growing their teams. The company has raised $162 million from investors, including IVP, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed, GV, and ICONIQ.

SOURCE Tennr