A/R recovery
Accounts receivable (A/R) recovery services
A/R recovery means working every unpaid and underpaid insurance claim until it is paid, corrected, appealed or properly closed. We clean up old A/R, chase underpayments and work the oldest claims first, before filing deadlines close them for good.
- Old A/R cleanup, oldest and largest balances first
- Underpayments checked against your contracts
- Free 90-day claims audit with a dollar estimate
Old A/R cleanup
Old claims are still money, if you act before the deadline
Most practices have claims that were never paid and never followed up. Some can still be collected. The longer they sit, the fewer of them you can save.
Old A/R builds up for ordinary reasons: a biller left, the practice changed EHRs, claims were rejected at the clearinghouse and no one noticed, or denials were set aside to deal with later. The result is the same. Money you earned is sitting in a report no one is working.
We take the full aging report, sort it by payer, age and dollar amount, and check the status of each claim with the payer. Then we correct, resubmit, appeal or close each one, and tell you which is which.
- Claims with no response from the payer
- Claims rejected by the clearinghouse and never resent
- Denials that were never corrected or appealed
- Claims paid below the contracted rate
- Credit balances and overpayments that need to be resolved
Aging buckets
What each A/R aging bucket tells you
An aging report groups unpaid claims by how long they have been open. The older the bucket, the more urgent the work.
| Age | What it usually means | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–30 days | Normal. Most clean claims are paid in this window. | Watch for rejections and early denials; confirm claims were accepted. |
| 31–60 days | Slower than it should be. Something may be pending or missing. | Check claim status with the payer and answer any requests for records. |
| 61–90 days | At risk. Often a denial or a claim the payer never received. | Correct and resubmit, or appeal, and keep proof of timely filing. |
| 91–120 days | Serious. Filing and appeal windows may be closing. | Work first by deadline and dollar amount; escalate with the payer. |
| 120+ days | Hardest to collect. Some claims may be past deadline. | Recover what is still valid, appeal with proof of timely filing, and close the rest with a clear reason. |
Our clients average 21 days in A/R and an 89% recovery rate (company-wide averages across active clients).
Timely filing
Filing deadlines are why A/R cannot wait
Every payer sets a deadline to file a claim and a separate deadline to appeal. Once a deadline passes, the payer can deny the claim no matter how valid the service was.
Deadlines differ a lot. Some commercial plans allow only a few months from the date of service. Medicare generally allows 12 months. Medicaid limits vary by state. Corrected claims and appeals often have their own, shorter windows.
That is why we sort old A/R by deadline, not just by age. A claim near its limit gets worked before a larger claim that still has time. We also keep clearinghouse acceptance reports, because proof of timely submission is often the only way to win a late-filing denial.
Rules vary by payer and plan; we check each payer’s current filing and appeal limits before we act.
Underpayments
Paid is not the same as paid correctly
An underpayment is a claim the payer paid, but for less than your contract says. It does not show up as a denial, so most practices never catch it.
We compare what each payer allowed against your fee schedules and contracts. When a payer pays the wrong rate, applies the wrong fee schedule, or pays a nurse practitioner or add-on code incorrectly, we file a payment dispute or reprocessing request and follow it until the difference is paid.
If you do not have copies of your payer contracts or fee schedules, we can help you request them. You cannot catch underpayments without them.
Free audit
How the free 90-day audit finds recoverable money
The free claims audit reviews your last 90 days of claims and shows you, in dollars, what we believe is still recoverable. There is no obligation.
Get the free audit
Written report, dollar estimate, review call and quote.
Learn more →Denial management
Every denial worked within 5 business days.
Learn more →- 01
You share your claims data
We sign a BAA first. Then we review your claims, remittances and aging report from your EHR or billing system.
- 02
We review every claim
We look for unpaid claims, unworked denials, underpayments, rejections that were never resent and claims close to their filing deadline.
- 03
You get a written report
A clear list of what we found, with an estimate of recoverable revenue in dollars and the main causes behind it.
- 04
We walk you through it
A review call to go over the findings, plus a price quote if you want us to do the recovery work.
Common questions
What is A/R recovery in medical billing?
It is the work of following up on unpaid and underpaid insurance claims until each one is paid, corrected, appealed or properly closed. It usually focuses on claims older than 30 to 60 days.
How old is too old to recover?
It depends on the payer’s filing and appeal deadlines, not a fixed number of days. Some claims over a year old can still be recovered, especially if you have proof they were filed on time. Others close after a few months. We check each one.
Can you take over A/R left by a previous biller?
Yes. This is one of the most common reasons practices call us. We start from the aging report, check each claim’s status with the payer and work the most urgent ones first.
How much does A/R recovery cost?
Ongoing A/R follow-up is included in full billing, which starts at 2.5% of collections or a flat monthly fee. For a one-time cleanup of old A/R, we quote after the free 90-day audit shows what is there.
What is a good days-in-A/R number?
Many practices aim for under 30 to 40 days, but it depends on your payer mix. Our clients average 21 days in A/R (company-wide average across active clients).
Do you also follow up on patient balances?
Yes. We send clear patient statements and track balances. If you want someone to call patients about balances, add a virtual assistant who works for your practice. Our patient billing support page explains how.
Guides from our team
Learn more before you decide
How to Appeal a Denied Insurance Claim: A Step-by-Step Guide for Practices
When to correct, reconsider or appeal a denied claim, what a strong appeal letter includes, Medicare's five appeal levels and deadlines, and how to track appeals.
Read the guide →Accounts Receivable Management in Medical Billing: How to Reduce Days in A/R
Learn how accounts receivable management reduces days in A/R, recovers aged claims, and keeps your medical practice’s revenue cycle healthy.
Read the guide →Timely Filing Limits for Medical and Mental Health Claims: How They Work and How to Never Miss One
How timely filing limits work for Medicare, Medicaid and commercial payers, the separate deadlines for appeals, and how to prove a claim was on time.
Read the guide →Find out what your claims are leaving on the table
Tell us about your practice. We will review 90 days of claims and show you what is recoverable, at no cost.
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