Eighth Consecutive Year of Recognition Accompanies an Outlook Focused on Accountable AI, Patient Access, Revenue Protection and Enterprise-Wide Health Information Governance
CHICAGO, IL / ACCESS Newswire / September 30, 2026 / Black Book Research today announced its State of Release of Information and Healthcare Information Lifecycle Management Technology 2027 report, examining how release of information (ROI) and health information lifecycle management (HILM) are expanding beyond records fulfillment into enterprise functions connecting patient rights, privacy, payer transactions, regulatory obligations and financial performance. The report’s central conclusion: healthcare organizations entering 2027 need an accountable operating model for health information-not simply a faster way to process requests.
The report identifies Verisma as the 2027 ROI category leader for an eighth consecutive year, leading 13 of 18 equally weighted operational-satisfaction key performance indicators. The evaluation measures the combined technology-and-service experience across disclosure controls, accuracy, integration, automation, responsiveness, security, consistency and other dimensions of day-to-day performance.
“The next chapter of release of information is not defined by how quickly a record leaves the building,” said Doug Brown, Founder of Black Book Research. “It is defined by whether the right information reaches the right authorized party, supports the intended purpose and leaves a defensible trail. That makes ROI and HILM a shared priority for health information management, privacy, technology and revenue-cycle leadership.”
Five Trends Shaping ROI and HILM Investment in 2027
Health information governance becomes an enterprise responsibility.
Black Book’s outlook connects patient and proxy access, third-party requests, payer retrieval, prior authorization support, claims documentation, archives and audit response within one governed operating model. The report recommends joint sponsorship by health information management and privacy leaders, revenue-cycle executives and the chief information officer, with clear decision rights and common performance measures established before technology selection.
AI must demonstrate accountability as well as efficiency.
The report identifies opportunities for automation across intake, classification, patient matching, retrieval, review, redaction, routing and summarization. However, it places equal emphasis on human authority over high-risk disclosures, sensitive-data exceptions and low-confidence decisions. Buyers are encouraged to require source traceability, retained policy and model versions, measurable error rates, effective override procedures and the ability to disable automation without interrupting service or losing audit evidence.
The business case extends beyond the cost of fulfilling a records request.
Black Book links HILM investment to the information needed for prior authorization, claims attachments, denials, appeals, risk adjustment, quality reporting and audits. Its value framework incorporates reduced administrative work, more complete documentation, fewer avoidable delays, lower legacy-system costs and stronger evidence supporting payment and compliance. The report distinguishes these potential benefits from savings that must be demonstrated through an organization’s own implementation and performance measures.
Regulatory milestones turn planning into implementation work.
Federal requirements reinforce the report’s emphasis on operational readiness. Compliance dates for CMS payer API development and enhancement requirements generally begin January 1, 2027, with timing varying by payer type. The federal claims-attachment and associated electronic-signature standards have a May 26, 2028 compliance deadline, while applicable requirements under the updated substance use disorder records confidentiality rule, 42 CFR Part 2, are already in effect. Black Book consequently identifies workflow integration, consent controls, document quality, transaction testing and retrievable decision evidence as core implementation priorities-not tasks to defer until a deadline approaches.
Vendor selection shifts toward demonstrated performance and clear accountability.
The report cautions that full-service ROI operators, clinical-data exchange networks, content and archive platforms, payer-workflow technologies and retrieval specialists perform related but different functions. Buyers should compare vendors against the work they actually need performed, separating software capabilities from managed-service responsibilities. Relevant production references, performance by site and request type, transparent fees, visible subcontracting arrangements and usable data exports at contract exit are central to that assessment.
Verisma’s recognition reflects the broader operating standard
Verisma’s leading results include disclosure compliance and authorization safeguards, release accuracy and completeness, client partnership and governance, automation with human oversight, EHR and source-system integration, cost efficiency and measurable value, protected health information security, operational reporting, cross-site consistency and long-term reliability. The report evaluates these areas as separate operational measures rather than treating overall satisfaction as a single recommendation or brand-preference question.
The Verisma profile addresses managed ROI and HILM services, compliance workflows, requester access, automation, analytics and payer-oriented retrieval. Its evaluation focus includes disclosure accuracy, enterprise standardization, service consistency and automation with human oversight-capabilities directly aligned with the report’s broader 2027 priorities.
“Verisma’s recognition is meaningful because the evaluation reaches beyond any single feature or service metric,” Brown said. “The standard is whether technology, people and governance work together reliably across the information lifecycle. Buyers need confidence that modernization can improve access and productivity while preserving accuracy, privacy and accountability.”
An implementation agenda for healthcare leaders
The report recommends beginning with an enterprise inventory of request channels, source systems, archives, vendors, sensitive-data categories, costs, backlogs and error patterns. Its implementation framework then moves through operating-model design, procurement, integration, piloting and enterprise standardization, supported by measurable service, security and financial outcomes.
“The opportunity for 2027 is to stop managing every information request as a separate operational problem,” Brown added. “A coherent HILM program gives healthcare leaders a foundation for better patient access, more dependable payer workflows and safer automation.”
About the report
The State of Release of Information and Healthcare Information Lifecycle Management Technology 2027 combines market analysis, regulatory and reimbursement considerations, a vendor landscape, procurement guidance, an implementation roadmap and operational-satisfaction scorecards. Its evaluation framework uses 18 equally weighted ROI-specific KPIs across four buyer and user segments: large health systems and academic medical centers; community and regional hospitals; physician groups and ambulatory organizations; and payer, audit and retrieval operations.
The respondent breakdown for Black Book’s 2027 ROI/HILM study totals 2,317 healthcare professionals: 1,043 from hospitals and health systems, 695 from physician groups and practices, 278 from payers and health plans, 208 from ambulatory care centers and 93 from accountable care organizations.
About Black Book Research
Black Book Research is an independent, healthcare-focused market and public-opinion research organization producing vendor-agnostic client-experience intelligence for providers, payers, investors, policy stakeholders, media and technology buyers. Its research emphasizes relevant end-user experience, defined operational measures, transparent methodology and demonstrated production performance. Black Book accepts no vendor sponsorship or payment for inclusion or ranking.
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SOURCE: Black Book Research
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