Historic dual Best in KLAS recognition suggests collaboration, not conflict, can deliver better outcomes

In a U.S. healthcare system long defined by high costs, misaligned incentives, and entrenched payer–provider conflict, TREND Health Partners has been recognized with a rare distinction that signals a different path forward. In the 2026 Best in KLAS Awards: Software and Services Report, TREND was named #1 in Post-Payment Integrity (Payer) and #1 in Denials Management Services (Provider), marking the first time a single vendor has earned top recognition on both sides of healthcare’s most persistent divide. Against that backdrop, a rare and meaningful signal has emerged.

American healthcare has long been defined by a paradox: it costs more than any other developed nation’s system, yet consistently underperforms on outcomes that matter most to patients, clinicians, and communities. Decades of structural complexity, misaligned incentives, and entrenched infighting between payers and providers have created an environment where progress often feels elusive and hope is scarce.

Challenging a Long-Held Assumption

For years, the industry has quietly accepted a belief that excellence for one side of healthcare required opposition to the other: that payer trust and provider trust were mutually exclusive, and that progress depended on choosing a side in an endless arms race.

This moment challenges that assumption.

Rather than optimizing for advocacy, leverage, or gray-area wins, the work recognized by these awards centered on a different premise: that accuracy, transparency, and shared accountability could serve both payers and providers and that doing so might actually produce better financial and operational outcomes.

“For decades, the industry has regarded collaboration as everything from idealism to delusion,” said Sarah Armstrong, CEO of TREND Health Partners. “What this moment reveals is that collaboration can be operational, scalable, and measurable, without sacrificing rigor or results.”

A Collective Leap and Collective Vindication

This recognition reflects not just a vendor’s approach, but the courage of payer and provider organizations willing to try something different. Leaders on both sides chose to step away from entrenched postures and invest in a model grounded in factual accuracy rather than positional advantage.

In doing so, they took a risk, one many believed would never be rewarded in a system conditioned to expect conflict.

“In healthcare, it’s often easier to fight than to resolve,” said Rachel Cole, SVP of Payer Operations at TREND Health Partners. “But our payer partners demonstrated that focusing on accuracy instead of confrontation leads to stronger outcomes and stronger relationships.”

From the provider perspective, the same principle held.

“Providers want clarity more than conflict,” said David Gaffey, SVP of Provider Operations at TREND Health Partners. “This recognition reinforces that when disputes are resolved with facts, consistency, and respect, trust follows, and outcomes improve.”

Together, these organizations and teams have served as a vanguard, demonstrating that a different way of operating is not only possible, but preferable.

Importantly, this recognition did not emerge from strategy or intent alone. This outcome reflects consistent execution: teams that build trust through relationships, demonstrate deep command of complex subject matter, and deliver results that meet and often exceed expectations. Without that level of operational excellence, a collaborative model would remain aspirational rather than credible.

A Needed Signal in a Weary System

Best in KLAS awards are based entirely on direct customer feedback, shaped by hundreds of interviews with payer and provider organizations reflecting on real-world experience and performance. According to KLAS Research, earning top satisfaction scores across both payer and provider categories is unprecedented, underscoring the depth of alignment required to achieve it.

“Best in KLAS recognition is driven by the voice of healthcare organizations,” said Boyd Stewart, EVP of Engagement at KLAS Research. “Our conversations with TREND’s payer and provider customers and the experiences they share reflect TREND’s strong focus on accuracy, transparency, and partnership, areas that continue to matter deeply across the industry.”

At a time when many healthcare leaders feel fatigued by structural inertia and adversarial norms, this moment offers something increasingly rare: evidence that a better model can work.

More Than an Award - A Beacon

Healthcare has never lacked ambition or vision. What it has lacked is proof that collaboration can outperform conflict at scale.

This recognition does not claim final victory. It demonstrates something more practical: that disciplined accuracy and shared accountability can succeed where adversarial models have stalled and that a different future is not theoretical, but achievable.

About TREND Health Partners

TREND Health Partners is a healthcare technology and services company dedicated to improving payment accuracy through collaboration, transparency, and trust. Serving both payers and providers, TREND helps organizations ensure that healthcare dollars are paid and received correctly, strengthening relationships while protecting financial integrity across the healthcare ecosystem. Learn more at Trendhealthpartners.com

About KLAS Research

KLAS Research is a healthcare IT data and insights company that helps provider and payer organizations make confident technology decisions. By collecting and analyzing authentic customer feedback, KLAS highlights best practices, identifies performance gaps, and facilitates collaboration between healthcare organizations and vendors to improve patient care and operational effectiveness. Learn more at klasresearch.com.

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“What this moment reveals is that collaboration can be operational, scalable, and measurable, without sacrificing rigor or results.”