Old A/R Cleanup: Recover Aging Claims, Whether You Switch or Not

Already have a billing company? Try us on your old A/R first

If you already have a billing company, you do not have to switch in order to have your old insurance balances reviewed. Your current biller can keep working new claims. We start with the free medical billing audit, using summary reports only. If collectable balances remain, we quote a cleanup project for just that backlog, in writing, before any work starts. We also agree in writing which dates of service MB Claims will work, so no claim is worked twice. There is no pressure to move your monthly billing to us. If you like the results, we can talk about full billing. If not, you keep your current setup.

• Keep your current biller on new claims
• Start with a free audit of summary reports, and a written review in 5 business days
• If balances remain collectable, get a written quote for a cleanup project on that backlog only
• Agree in writing which dates of service we work, so nothing overlaps
• No obligation to switch your monthly billing

Old A/R cleanup vs medical billing vs denial management

Keep these jobs separate. Mixing an inherited file into the current-month queue is how backlogs get ignored, and how new claims slip.

Revenue cycle management can connect these when you want one owner across the cycle. This page is only for the inherited-backlog project.

How the work runs

A scoped cleanup, not a promise to collect everything

These are the intended workflow steps, not a timed SLA. The only fixed timing already published is the free audit’s 5-business-day written review.

1. Start with the free audit (summary reports only)

Request the free medical billing audit. We return a written review within 5 business days of receiving complete summary reports. Do not send patient names, dates of birth, member IDs, or claim-level detail at this stage. A Business Associate Agreement is signed before any claim-level access.

2. Written scope and quote

After the audit, you see which part of the file looks still actionable, which looks at risk of missing a deadline, and the separately quoted cleanup terms. No cleanup work starts until that scope is agreed in writing.

3. Access and inventory

With a signed BAA, we inventory open insurance A/R by payer, date of service, balance, status, and last action, using the EHR, clearinghouse, and any prior-system access the practice can grant.

4. Triage by remaining deadline, then by recoverable value

A smaller balance near a hard deadline can outrank a larger balance with more time left. We weigh payer, status, documentation, and remaining filing or appeal windows — the same deadline-first idea used in denial management.

5. Work only what is still actionable

Depending on the record, that may be a status check, a corrected claim, a reconsideration or appeal, secondary billing, or a transfer. If a payer says the claim was late, proof of timely filing is used when it exists. Claims without a supportable path are not blindly resubmitted. Appeal-path detail for medical-necessity denials is in this appeal guide; the broader denial playbook is in our denial management guide.

6. Document close-outs and report separately

We report what was recovered, what is still open, and what was documented as no longer actionable, with reasons. If MB Claims is also doing ongoing billing, this reporting stays distinct from the current book.

Practice inputs

What the practice — and, if possible, the outgoing biller — needs to provide

For the free audit, summary reports are enough (the same list already published on the audit page):

• A/R aging by payer in standard buckets: 0–30, 31–60, 61–90, 91–120, and 120+ days
• A denial or rejection summary
• Monthly collections
• Payer mix
• Practice basics: specialty, number of providers, EHR or PM system, and clearinghouse
• Any known enrollment or credentialing gaps

Please do not send patient-level or claim-level data for the audit.

After a BAA, if a project is agreed, useful records include claim-level open A/R, remittance / ERA history, clearinghouse acceptance or 277CA reports, payer-portal and EHR access, any appeal or follow-up notes the previous biller left, and fee schedules or contract references when they are available. The onboarding checklist is a useful companion when a switch is also in play.

Missing history slows the work and can limit options. Some of it can be rebuilt from portals and status checks, but proof of original filing cannot be invented.

How old A/R cleanup is priced

MB Claims charges 2.99% to 6% of the collections on the claims we manage, or $1,000 per month, whichever is higher, for claims we manage going forward. That rate is set after the free audit and written into the agreement before we start. Details are on the pricing page.

Cleanup of old A/R is quoted separately, in writing, after the free audit, before work starts. We do not publish a cleanup percentage on this page, and we do not promise a recovery dollar amount. If you are comparing quotes, how much medical billing companies charge explains why you should ask whether old A/R cleanup is included or billed separately.

Security & privacy

BAA with every client, and work inside your EHR

MB Claims signs a Business Associate Agreement with every client before protected health information is handled. Cleanup work runs inside the practice EHR and tools you already use, with the access you grant — see EHR partners, including Epic and eClinicalWorks. You do not have to change software. We do not market a privacy-rule certification badge. We operate under BAA obligations, access controls you approve, and documented escalation paths.