AI can help align payers and providers to overcome inefficiencies
Published:
April 23, 2026
In a recent interview with Susan Morse, executive editor of Healthcare Finance News, Lalithya Yeramilli, head of payment solutions at Cohere Health, discusses how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping payer-provider collaboration by addressing long‑standing inefficiencies and misaligned incentives across the care continuum.
Both health plans and providers are now turning to AI to modernize burdensome legacy workflows and address those inefficiencies. Providers are using the technology to drive more timely, accurate payments, while health plans work to streamline the prior authorization process and support human reviewers with real-time clinical and payment insights.
Lalithya explains that this “AI ping pong” is often a result of misaligned incentives. “We see a way forward. It starts from thinking of this not as a battle, but as a collaborative effort that benefits both parties.” Cohere Health’s approach is grounded in trust, transparency, and continuous human oversight; AI augments human decision‑making–never denying care or payments–helping advance a more connected, collaborative healthcare ecosystem.
Written by
Lalithya
Yerramilli
Lalithya Yerramilli is a healthcare technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation at the intersections of analytics, payment integrity, and care optimization. She founded Zigna AI, where she focused on bringing transparency and efficiency to healthcare reimbursement. Previously, she was a member of the executive leadership team at SCIO Health Analytics, leading a global analytics organization and driving growth to support a $1B pipeline. Lalithya holds a master’s in Engineering, Quantitative Finance, and Statistics from Rutgers University, and an undergraduate degree in Engineering from Osmania University.
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