ANSWERS · REVENUE CYCLE

How do I work a 90+ day aged-A/R backlog?

You clear an aged-A/R backlog by triaging it, not marching through it oldest-first: sort by dollar value and by whether the claim is still inside its timely-filing and appeal windows, then work the highest-value, still-recoverable claims before they age out. A fat over-90 bucket is almost always unworked denials and underpayments, so categorizing by reason is what turns a backlog into a recovery plan.

Billing LeadPractice Manager

Step by step

1
Segment the backlog
Split insurance from patient A/R, then group insurance claims by payer and by denial reason.
2
Triage by value and deadline
Prioritize high-dollar claims still inside their timely-filing/appeal windows — those are the recoverable dollars at risk right now.
3
Batch by root cause
Claims that denied for the same reason often resolve together — work them as a batch, not one at a time.
4
Set a write-off rule for the rest
Claims genuinely past their window or below a defensible threshold get closed with a rule, so effort goes where recovery is possible.
5
Fix the upstream cause
A large over-90 bucket points to a front-end or denial-workflow gap — close it so the backlog stops rebuilding.

Common questions

Where do I start with a huge A/R backlog?

Not oldest-first. Start with the highest-dollar claims still inside their timely-filing and appeal windows — that's the recoverable money at immediate risk. Then batch the rest by denial reason so similar claims resolve together.

Is old A/R even worth working?

The part still inside its filing and appeal windows is — and that's usually where denied and underpaid claims hide. Claims genuinely past their deadlines should be closed with a rule so effort concentrates on what can still be recovered.

Where Volari fits: The over-90 backlog is Volari's home turf — the denied and underpaid claims that aged out of anyone's follow-up but are still inside their recovery windows, worked at machine cost and paid only on recovery.

Related answers
How do I lower my practice's denial rate? →How do I reduce days in A/R? →How do I read an EOB or 835 remittance? →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? →

See the revenue you're owed but never collected.

A free assessment shows your real recoverable number from denied and underpaid claims. No risk, paid only on what we recover.

Get your free assessment →Watch the agents work →
Volari AI · answers for independent practices · all answers →