Collectly is making a clear push upstream in the revenue cycle, acquiring Pledge Health to automate some of the most manual and error-prone steps before a patient ever receives care. For organizations already feeling pressure from staffing shortages, rising patient balances, and increasing administrative complexity, the move signals a broader shift: automation is no longer just about billing and collections, it’s about controlling the entire financial journey from the start.
At a high level, the acquisition gives Collectly the ability to extend automation into pre-service workflows like coverage verification, cost estimation, and financial clearance, which are areas that have traditionally required significant human intervention and are often sources of downstream issues.Back in 2023, the company announced it had raised $29 million to help healthcare providers recover more unpaid bills.
Historically, many healthcare organizations (and vendors supporting them) have focused on the back end of the revenue cycle: billing, statements, and payments. But friction earlier in the process often creates the very problems that show up later:
- Incomplete or inaccurate insurance data
- Missed eligibility issues
- Poor upfront cost transparency
- Delayed or failed collections
By integrating Pledge Health’s AI workflow engine, Collectly is aiming to reduce those breakdowns before they happen.
Key capabilities being added:
- Automated coverage and benefits verification
- Real-time cost estimation and validation
- Financial clearance workflows
- Pre-service approvals and payment setup
- Patient communication and follow-up automation
These are the same steps that often determine whether an account becomes collectible—or problematic—downstream.
One notable aspect of the deal is the shift away from traditional robotic process automation (RPA). Pledge Health’s technology combines API integrations with browser-based automation, allowing workflows to operate even in environments where payer systems lack clean integrations.
Collectly, which already serves more than 3,000 healthcare facilities and has processed over $1 billion in patient payments, is positioning itself to deliver a more unified, end-to-end financial experience.
The strategy reflects a broader industry shift: instead of optimizing isolated steps, vendors are moving toward owning entire workflows.
