Bringing an aging A/R backlog back under control
A growing practice had denials piling up and old claims nobody had time to chase. Here’s how we typically approach a situation like this.
A multi-provider outpatient practice (anonymous, illustrative scenario). Specialty: Multi-specialty outpatient
Results
One owner for every claim
Each open claim had a clear next step and someone responsible for it.
Fewer repeat denials
Upstream fixes at check-in and in documentation stopped the same denials coming back.
Clear, regular reporting
The practice could see A/R, denials and collections at a glance in plain language.
The challenge
Billing had been handled by a front-desk team that was also checking patients in. Claims went out late, denials sat unworked and balances over 90 days kept growing.
Without clear reporting, the practice couldn’t tell which payers or services were causing the most trouble, so nobody knew where to start.
What we did
- 1.Signed a business associate agreement, set up individual user accounts in the practice’s existing EHR and agreed on roles, handoffs and a reporting schedule.
- 2.Sorted the open A/R by payer, age and denial reason, then worked the oldest balances with the best chance of recovery first, before timely-filing limits closed.
- 3.Traced repeat denials back to their cause, such as eligibility gaps at check-in or missing modifiers, and shared short, practical fixes with the front desk and providers.
Wondering what we’d focus on for your practice?
Start with a free revenue audit. We’ll show you what we’d change first.