ANSWERS · PRACTICE FINANCE

We can't afford denial-management staff — what are the options?

If you can't justify a full-time denial and appeals specialist, you have three real options: outsource the tail to a percentage-based service, use software that works denials at machine cost, or triage internally to only the highest-value claims. The honest problem is that hand-working denials costs more per claim than a hire's salary implies — so the answer is usually to lower the per-claim cost, not to accept the write-offs.

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What actually matters

  • A dedicated denial specialist is hard to justify at small volume — but leaving denials unworked costs more than the salary, just invisibly
  • Outsourcing the tail (percentage of recovery) adds capacity with no fixed payroll, but confirm denials and underpayments are actually in scope
  • Software that works denials at machine cost changes the math — the small claims that weren't worth a person's time become recoverable
  • Triage is the minimum: work the highest-dollar, clearest-error denials in-house and stop pretending the rest will get done
  • Outcome-based options mean no fixed cost — you pay only when money is actually recovered

Common questions

Is it worth outsourcing denial management for a small practice?

Often yes for the tail — the aged, denied, and underpaid claims a small team can't get to. An outcome-based arrangement adds no fixed payroll and pays only on recovery, so it fits a practice that can't justify a dedicated hire.

Where Volari fits: This is Volari's fit exactly: no fixed cost, no new hire — it works the denied and underpaid tail at machine cost and takes a fee only on what it recovers, so a practice that can't staff for denials still gets them worked.

Related answers
How do I lower my practice's denial rate?How do I reduce days in A/R?How do I know if I'm being underpaid by insurers?In-house billing vs. outsourcing: which is right for my practice?How do I renegotiate payer contracts for better rates?How do I fix my prior-authorization workflow?

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