Seeing the Whole Funnel: What Healthcare Leaders Can Learn from Performance Data

A closer look at how bariatric programs are navigating the impact of GLP-1s and rethinking throughput

Health systems are flying blind when they can’t answer basic but critical questions—like how many patients actually make it from referral to consult, how long insurance verification really takes, or whether patients are quietly stalling out in the pipeline. Take bariatric clinics, for example: as surgical volumes plateau and GLP-1 medications reshape the weight loss landscape, these blind spots have real consequences—patients drop off, pipelines stall, and the clarity around a patient’s journey begins to vanish.

As VP of Account Management and Customer Success at Orbita, Bill Andrae helps leading health systems uncover these gaps and close them. Here’s the thing: Bill doesn’t treat “customer success” as a finish line—it’s the byproduct of something deeper. He follows a performance management model—one that aligns with the customer’s goals from day one, tracks real outcomes (not just process metrics), and uses data to drive improvement over time.

In this Q&A, Bill explains why traditional customer success falls short, how performance management drives results, and what healthcare leaders—whether in bariatrics or other high-friction service lines—can do right now to improve throughput and retain patients. If you’re grappling with shrinking volume or fragmented workflows, this is a conversation worth reading.

You work with multiple health systems across the country. What trends are you seeing in bariatric programs, and how are they responding to changes in surgical volume?

BA: A lot of what I’m seeing is a decrease in overall bariatric surgery volume. In response, some health systems are expanding their medical weight loss options to bring patients into their ecosystem earlier. They know a percentage of those patients won’t meet their weight loss goals through medication alone—and they want to keep them connected to the system so they can transition to surgical care when appropriate. Medical weight loss is becoming a new feeder pathway into the surgical funnel.

Other programs are taking a closer look at their internal processes. Nationally, only about 40–50% of patients who attend a consult go on to surgery. So they're asking, “How do we maximize that throughput?” To answer that, they need to examine every step—from verifying insurance, to scheduling consults, to completing pre-authorization requirements. A digital platform that tracks all of this allows them to understand their baseline performance and implement process improvements to move more patients through to surgery.

When health systems start digging into their own data around patient scheduling, what patterns or gaps tend to emerge?

BA: One health system had a rough estimate that 40–50% of patients entering their lead pipeline were converting to consults—but it was just a guess. They knew not everyone had insurance coverage, and they suspected the process might be taking too long.

Once we dug into the data with them, we confirmed the conversion rate was just under 50%. We also identified the reasons patients didn’t make it to consult: the majority didn’t have coverage, and a smaller percentage simply didn’t respond. We were also able to verify that the workflow from lead to consult was happening in under seven days, which was their goal—but until we looked at the data, they didn’t know whether that was reasonable or if there was room for improvement. 

Once health systems have that kind of data, how are they using it to adjust their processes?

BA: It really opens their eyes. One client discovered it was taking over two weeks to verify patient insurance. During that lag, patients could easily drift elsewhere. After seeing the data, they quickly shifted from an outsourced verification model to an internal one—and significantly cut down the turnaround time.

In another case, a client knew their conversion from lead to consult was around 50%. They accepted that patients without insurance wouldn’t convert—but they started exploring what more they could do to reach those who simply weren’t responding. Now they’re experimenting with new outreach strategies to increase engagement and pull-through.

Looking ahead, especially with new medications changing the demand landscape, how should health systems think about patient throughput and growth?

BA: They need to rethink their funnel. It used to be one pipeline: surgical candidates. Now, there’s a second pipeline of patients entering through medical weight loss programs—and they need to track both.

With one customer, we’re setting up digital checkpoints in the medical weight loss journey. If a patient isn’t hitting weight loss targets, the team can have a proactive conversation: “Are you still satisfied with your current path, or would you like to explore surgery?”

The key is defining those milestones, digitizing the process, and holding both the care team and patients accountable for progressing through the pathway.

Bill’s approach reframes what it means to support healthcare organizations: it’s not about checking boxes or delivering software—it’s about delivering results. Performance management, as practiced by Bill and the Orbita team, means aligning with client goals from the start, monitoring real-world outcomes, and using data to spot when processes need to change.

In an industry where every lost patient represents not just lost throughput but a missed opportunity for better health, having that clarity matters. Whether it’s improving insurance turnaround times or creating new digital checkpoints for medical weight loss, Orbita empowers health systems to take control of their own data—and act on it. Because in today’s complex care landscape, managing performance isn’t just nice to have. It’s how you grow.

Have thoughts or questions about AI in healthcare? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to learn more about how Orbita is transforming patient engagement.