How To *Effectively* Work Your Aging

Most billers dread working the aging, or outstanding claims report. It usually means hours of searching for remittances or EOB's, or worse, calling the insurance company and, after being on hold for 15 minutes or more, being given incorrect information. Due to the frustrating nature of this task, many people put it off as long as possible. The major problem with this, of course, is the longer you wait, the more the claims age out resulting in what, may now be, timely filing denials. So, how do you solve this? Here are some tips I recommend to streamline the process:

1. Ensure all payments are set up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). EFT provides faster and more efficient payments. Paper checks can get lost or sent to the wrong address if you've moved or switched billing companies. Also, you have to wait 30 days to put a stop and re-issue on checks, leaving your money out there even longer.

2. Make sure all EOB's and remittances are coming through your clearinghouse as ERA and that you have online access to all the insurance websites to check claim status. Again, paper gets lost sometimes so that denial the biller can't find? You can see it online. So much of the research can be done online and it cuts down the amount of phone time actually needed. Most insurances accept electronic resubmittals of corrected claims; just put a "7" in the resubmission code box and the original claim number or ICN on the claim in the proper box. Some insurances, like Medicare, accept claim resubmittals directly through their websites. No more paper appeals needed!

3. Pick one day and make it an "aging day". Working denials as they come in may sound easier, but things happen daily that interfere with our being able to complete what wasn't already on our to-do list . Designate a day, or a few hours at the very least, where you can just work the aged claims report. Sorting it by insurance and by patient make it easier to tackle. If there's eligibility issues with a patient, fix all of the patient's claims at once. Separating by insurance will also provide some insight into denial trends that may indicate issues with credentialing.

4. If you do have to actually speak with a claims representative at an insurance company, get the name of who you're speaking with and a reference number. It's quite common for one call to not resolve the issue and having this information on subsequent calls will make it easier for the reps to look up prior notes, and keep you from having to repeat the back story.

5. Follow up, follow up, follow up. I can't stress this enough. Again, one phone call will likely not resolve more involved or difficult issues, so you will have to call back every 30 days to check on the status.

6. Most importantly, be persistent and a little pushy, but be kind. The claims reps with whom you're speaking will be more likely to help resolve claims problems if you're polite and gracious. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to have unresolved claims for months, but being angry or rude to the person on the other end of the phone is not the solution.

If you're still having problems with lowering your A/R totals, send us an email or give us a call. We have expertise in claims resolution and can help with your aging even if we don't handle your billing.

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