PYMNTS Intelligence data from “Vertical-First Payments: How Low-Code Wins in Education, Healthcare and Field Services,” produced in collaboration with Finix, reveals that legacy payment infrastructures built on manual processes and disconnected systems remain deeply embedded across high-trust sectors. The cost is real: limited visibility, delayed cash flow and a widening gap between what businesses and consumers now expect—real-time, digital-first experiences—and what they actually get.

The report’s findings make clear just how stubborn those challenges remain.

• Only 44% of healthcare treasurers report high cash flow predictability. This lack of predictability reflects the complexity of reimbursement flows, reliance on manual processes and delays tied to claims approvals and payments. For finance teams, that uncertainty makes it difficult to manage liquidity and plan effectively.
• Forty-four percent of consumers report experiencing at least one issue when paying for healthcare services. Common challenges include unclear billing, unexpected costs and poor communication. These issues erode trust and create additional administrative burden as providers must resolve disputes and answer questions tied to opaque payment processes.
• Nearly seven in 10 Gen Z patients (68%) report issues with healthcare payments, signaling that friction is most acute among digital-first consumers.
  Younger consumers, accustomed to seamless digital transactions in other parts of their lives, are less tolerant of legacy systems that require paper forms, phone calls or delayed processing. This generational gap underscores the urgency of modernization.

The data suggests that payment friction is not simply an operational inefficiency—it is a barrier to trust and engagement. When patients encounter difficulties understanding or completing payments, it affects their perception of care and their willingness to engage with providers.

Embedded payments, delivered through low-code infrastructure, offer a way to address these issues by integrating financial interactions directly into care workflows. This approach reduces manual intervention, improves transparency and accelerates payment timelines.

For organizations, the implications extend beyond efficiency. Improving payment experiences can enhance cash flow predictability, reduce administrative costs and strengthen relationships with consumers.

As PYMNTS Intelligence data makes clear, the gap between legacy systems and modern expectations is widening. Closing that gap will require more than incremental upgrades—it will require rethinking how payments are embedded into the core of the service experience.

The broader takeaway is that payments are becoming a strategic layer of service delivery, not just a financial endpoint. Organizations that continue to treat payments as a back-office function risk reinforcing inefficiencies that ripple across operations, from delayed reconciliations to increased support costs and strained customer relationships.

Embedding payments directly into workflows changes that dynamic. It aligns financial interactions with the moment value is delivered, making speed, transparency and choice part of the core experience. For providers, that shift can translate into more predictable revenue cycles and stronger engagement at critical touchpoints.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.