Days in accounts receivable is total A/R divided by average daily charges. Many well-run practices aim to stay under about 40 days, though the right number depends on your specialty and payer mix. A rising number usually points to a specific problem in the cycle. Here is how to bring it down.
1. Verify eligibility before every visit
Coverage changes. Checking before each appointment prevents denials and delays at the source. See eligibility verification.
2. Submit claims fast
Aim to send claims within a day or two of the visit. Every day a claim sits unsent adds to your A/R.
3. Scrub claims before they go out
A claim scrubber catches missing information, coding conflicts and formatting errors, and raises your clean claim rate.
4. Work denials the week they arrive
Denials sitting in a queue age quickly. Fix and resubmit or appeal within days. Our denial management service does exactly this.
5. Follow up on unpaid claims on a schedule
Check any claim without a response after about 30 days, starting with the largest balances. See A/R follow-up.
6. Post payments quickly and accurately
Unposted or misposted payments make A/R look worse than it is and hide underpayments.
7. Collect from patients early
Collect copays at check-in, give estimates when you can and send clear statements promptly. See patient billing.
8. Review the numbers every month
Track days in A/R, percentage over 90 days, clean claim rate and denial rate. Our guide to revenue cycle KPIs shows what to aim for.
Need help doing it?
If your team does not have time for all eight, a billing partner can take them on. See our revenue cycle management services.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal number of days in A/R?
Many practices aim for under 40 days, and often between 30 and 40, though it varies by specialty.
What causes high days in A/R?
Slow claim submission, high denial rates, unworked denials, weak follow-up and slow patient collections are the usual causes.
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