If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this phrase in healthcare, I’d never have to send another invoice:

“That’s how we’ve always done it.”

It comes up in staff meetings, in billing discussions, in compliance reviews everywhere. And every single time, I hear it, I know the organization is bleeding money, leaking compliance risk, or holding on to workflows that should have been retired a decade ago.

Comfort Is Expensive

The truth is, “that’s how we’ve always done it” is just code for “We don’t want to change.” It feels safe, it feels comfortable but in today’s regulatory world, it’s dangerous.

• Billing workflows: I’ve seen teams insist on manual processes that cause thousands in denials, even though automation could solve it. Why? Because “that’s how they’ve always done it.”
• Documentation habits: Copy-paste, generic goals, and outdated treatment plans live on not because they’re compliant, but because they’re familiar.
• Leadership blind spots: Too many executives assume compliance is a “check the box” exercise. Until they get audited, and suddenly the cost of comfort is six figures in repayments.

Change Hurts, But So Does an Audit

Here’s the reality: change is hard. No one likes retraining staff, rebuilding templates, or rethinking revenue cycle workflows. But audits don’t care about your comfort zone. Payors don’t care how you’ve “always” done it.

When an auditor is sitting across the table with your charts, the only thing that matters is whether your documentation, billing, and compliance practices hold up today not five years ago.

Stories I’ll Never Forget

• A CFO who told me, “We’ve always billed it this way, and no one’s said anything.” Six months later, they were hit with a $250,000 repayment demand.
• A clinical director who swore their templates were fine. During review, half their progress notes didn’t tie back to a treatment plan. All those claims were at risk.
• An executive team that resisted updating their EHR workflows because it was “too much work.” Meanwhile, their staff were wasting hours daily navigating outdated systems.

These aren’t rare horror stories they’re what happens when comfort outweighs compliance.

My Takeaway

If your staff or leadership ever says, “That’s how we’ve always done it,” stop right there. Ask the harder questions:

• Does this process still make sense today?
• Is it compliant with current regulations?
• Is it costing us money without us even realizing it?

Because here’s the truth: in healthcare, “that’s how we’ve always done it” isn’t tradition it usually is a liability.

Change may be uncomfortable, but you know what’s more uncomfortable? Sitting in an audit meeting, trying to explain why your organization clung to old habits instead of adapting.