Avoid the 90-Day Trap with Healthcare Accounts Receivable Management.

 

Getting paid in healthcare should be simple, but it's not. Insurance companies delay payments, patients can't always pay on time, and billing mistakes slow things down. As a result, unpaid claims start piling up, and this is where the 90-day Trap begins. Aging accounts receivable (AR) is a major reason why many healthcare practices lose money without even realizing it. Once a claim stays unpaid for over 90 days, it becomes harder and more costly to collect, and sometimes the money is lost forever. That's why it's important to understand what aging AR is, why the 90-day mark matters so much, and what you can do to fix the problem. 

What Is Aging AR in Healthcare? 

Aging AR refers to unpaid claims and balances that remain on your books over time. In most billing systems, these unpaid balances are tracked in time buckets—such as 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, and over 90 days. 

Once a claim crosses 90 days, it enters the high-risk zone. Insurance companies are less likely to pay it. Patients may forget about their balance or be unwilling to pay. Your billing team may have already moved on to newer claims. 

The older the claim, the lower the chances of collecting payment. This is why aging AR—especially beyond 90 days—is so damaging to your practice's cash flow. 

Why 90 Days Matters 

The 90-day mark is a turning point in your revenue cycle. Up to this point, you still have a good chance of collecting payment with follow-ups, corrections, or appeals. After that, the chances drop fast. 

Insurance payers may already mark it as "inactive" in their system. If your team hasn't followed up in time, you may even miss the deadline to appeal or correct the claim. 

Also, patient responsibility amounts that remain unpaid after 90 days often turn into bad debt. Sending those accounts to collections costs you more and still doesn't guarantee payment. 

The longer you wait, the more it costs you—in time, staff effort, and lost money. 

Now, you should know about the common reasons behind aging AR. 

Common reasons behind aging AR 

Many healthcare practices struggle with aging healthcare accounts receivable for the same reasons. Claims are often sent with missing or incorrect information. Follow-ups with insurance companies get delayed or forgotten. Claim status and denial reasons are not tracked properly. Staff may not be trained on payer rules. Patient eligibility isn't checked in advance. There's often no clear AR workflow or team responsibility. The good news is that these problems can be fixed—but only if you catch them early and take quick action. 

Fortunately, you can still break the Trap of 90-day AR aging. Wondering how? You can simply follow the practices mentioned below- 

Perfect healthcare accounts receivable management tips:  

You should start the process by analyzing the AR aging report frequently. Your team needs to prioritize working on claims that are aged more than 90 days. Ideally, your team should dilligently follow up on each deliquent claim within 30 days. Track the reason for every denial or delay so you can find patterns and fix the real problem. If documents are often missing, work with your clinical team to fix that. Communicate better with patients. Send bills early, offer payment plans, and use emails or texts to remind them. 

The easier you make it, the faster they'll pay. Provide your front-desk team with regular training sessions on insurance rules, because most problems start before the claim is even submitted. If your team is overwhelmed, think about outsourcing your AR follow-up. A professional medical accounts receivable management company with sufficient experience can help clean up your backlog, talk to payers, manage appeals, and recover money you thought was lost. 

A good billing partner will study your AR, fix your old claims, and create a smooth system to prevent future problems. They help you stay ahead of the 90-day Trap with better documentation, real-time updates, and steady follow-ups, giving you more time to focus on patient care.