Old A/R Recovery: How to Collect Aging Insurance Claims

Every practice has claims that slipped through – unpaid, underpaid or never followed up. As claims age, they become harder to collect, and once a payer's deadline passes they may be lost for good. An old A/R recovery project turns that backlog back into cash.

Why A/R gets old

• Denials that were never reworked
• Claims stuck in "no response" status
• Underpayments that were posted without review
• Staff turnover or a change of billing system
• Secondary claims never sent after the primary paid

How we approach an A/R clean-up

1. Run an aging report by payer and age bucket (0–30, 31–60, 61–90, 91–120 and over 120 days).
2. Prioritize by amount and by how close each claim is to its timely filing or appeal deadline.
3. Check claim status on payer portals or by phone to learn exactly what is needed.
4. Correct, resubmit or appeal each claim with the right documentation.
5. Send secondary and patient balances that were missed.
6. Write off only what is truly uncollectable – and record why, so it doesn't happen again.

Know the deadlines

Timely filing limits differ by payer. Medicare generally requires claims within 12 months of the date of service, while many commercial payers allow 90 to 180 days, and appeal deadlines are often shorter. Proof of timely filing – such as clearinghouse acceptance reports – can save claims that a payer says arrived late.