Accounts Receivable Follow-Up & Recovery

Accounts receivable, or A/R, is the money owed to your practice for care already given. Once a claim is submitted, it can stall. It may sit unprocessed, get pended for records, or be paid wrong. The older it gets, the harder it is to collect.

A/R follow-up services work those open claims systematically. Billers check status, contact payers, resolve problems, and push unpaid balances toward payment. Recovery work goes further back, into aged claims that were never fully worked.

Westmont Revenue Partners connects practices and facilities with vetted medical billing experts who provide outsourced A/R follow-up. We match you with a team that fits your payers and your systems.

Who this is for

Practices with a large or growing aging report, especially balances over 90 days
Groups that changed billers, systems, or ownership and left claims unworked
Practices that closed or merged locations and need old balances cleaned up
Specialties with slow or complex payers, such as workers' compensation or auto
Owners who see steady billing but weak cash
Facilities that want a fresh review of aged balances before writing them off

What's included

Review of the aging report by payer, age, and dollar value
Claim status checks through payer portals, electronic status, and phone calls
Follow-up on claims with no response
Resolution of pended claims that need records or information
Correction and resubmission of claims with errors
Referral of denials to appeal and denial management work
Review of underpaid claims against contract rates
Follow-up on secondary and tertiary balances
Identification of balances that belong to the patient and routing to billing
Documentation of every contact, with dates and reference numbers
Recommendations for write-off or adjustment, with approval from you
Regular A/R reporting

How it works

The team reviews your aging report and sorts claims by payer, age, and amount.
Claims are prioritized by dollar value and by risk of missing filing or appeal deadlines.
Each claim is checked for status, and the payer is contacted when needed.
Problems are fixed. Claims are resubmitted, appealed, or moved to the patient.
Every action is logged so the next person can pick up the trail.
You receive reports on what was recovered, what is still open, and what is stuck.

Common challenges

Claims with no payer record. The payer may say it never received the claim. A biller keeps clearinghouse proof of submission and resubmits quickly.
Pended claims waiting on records. Payers often hold a claim for more information. Billers find the request, gather the records, and respond before the deadline.
Aged claims near filing limits. Medicare generally allows one calendar year from the date of service, and many payers set shorter windows. Billers work the oldest high-value claims first.
Long phone queues and portal limits. Status checks take time. Billers use electronic status when available and keep call notes to avoid repeats.
Partial payments left open. A claim paid in part may sit open for months. Billers compare payments to expected rates and pursue the difference.
Balances that belong to the patient. Some open A/R is really patient responsibility. Billers move it to patient billing instead of letting it age on a payer.
Unworked backlogs after a transition. Moving systems can leave claims orphaned. Billers rebuild the list from payer and clearinghouse records.
Write-off decisions. Not every claim is worth chasing. Billers recommend closure with reasons, and you approve.

Metrics worth tracking

Days in A/R: average time claims stay unpaid; shows overall cash speed.
A/R aging buckets: share of balances in each age range; shows how much is at risk.
Percentage of A/R over 90 days: highlights collection risk.
Net collection rate: payments compared with what was collectible after contract adjustments.
Follow-up touch rate: how many open claims were worked in a period.
Recovery on aged claims: dollars collected from older balances.
Write-offs by reason: shows whether losses come from timely filing, denials, or other causes.

Codes and standards

Code or standard	Type	What it covers
276/277 (005010X212)	EDI transaction	Electronic claim status request and response
835 (005010X221)	EDI transaction	Electronic payment and remittance advice
837 Professional and Institutional	EDI transaction	Electronic claims, including resubmissions
CARC (Claim Adjustment Reason Codes)	Code set	Explain why a payer adjusted a claim or line
RARC (Remittance Advice Remark Codes)	Code set	Add detail or alerts to remittance data
42 CFR 424.44	Regulation	Medicare's general time limit for filing claims

Note

Codes and standards are examples for orientation, not a complete list, and do not guarantee coverage or payment. Always check current code sets and payer policy.

Specialties that use this service

How Westmont can help

We match you with vetted billing experts experienced in A/R follow-up and aged claim recovery.
We look for teams that can work inside your system or from exported reports.
We help you find providers who can handle backlogs after a billing transition.
We start with a conversation about your aging report so the match fits.

Frequently asked questions

What is A/R follow-up in medical billing?

A/R follow-up is the work of checking on claims that have been billed but not paid. Billers confirm the payer received the claim, find out what is holding it up, and fix the issue. The goal is to turn open claims into payments before they age out.

What does "days in A/R" mean?

Days in A/R estimates how long, on average, it takes to collect payment after billing. A lower number usually means faster cash. A rising number can signal slow payers, denials, or weak follow-up. Compare your own trend over time rather than a general figure.

Can old claims still be collected?

Sometimes. It depends on payer filing and appeal limits and on whether the claim was ever submitted correctly. Billers review aged claims, work the ones still within limits, and recommend write-off for the rest. Medicare and payer deadlines vary, so check current rules.

How is A/R follow-up different from denial management?

A/R follow-up covers any unpaid claim, including those with no response. Denial management focuses on claims the payer has refused and the appeals that follow. In practice the two overlap, and many billing teams run them together.

Should I outsource A/R follow-up or keep it in house?

Outsourcing helps when your staff is stretched, you have a backlog, or your aging is rising. Some practices keep daily work in house and outsource aged claims only. A good provider will explain how they report and who approves write-offs.

Related services

See what simpler billing looks like

Tell us about your practice and we will connect you with vetted billing experts. Contact Westmont for a quote.

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