Getting Paid & Patient Collections

Round 2 — Module 3 · How your work speeds up cash flow

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Round 2 Progress

Why It Gets Measured

Claims & Denials

Getting Paid & Collections

Two Numbers That Measure Speed

Days in AR and time-of-service collections both measure the same thing from different angles: how fast money actually reaches the practice. Neither one is about how hard anyone works — both are about how smoothly the process moves.

Where These Numbers Come From

Days in AR

The average number of days between a visit and getting paid for it. Fast, accurate front-end work shortens this. A claim that sits, a follow-up call that gets pushed back, or a correction that takes a week instead of a day all stretch this number out.

Patient Collections at Time of Service

The percentage of what a patient owes that gets collected before they leave the building. This depends almost entirely on what happens at check-in and check-out — not on billing that happens weeks later.

Why This Matters to You

Money collected today never needs to be chased later. A balance collected at check-out is done. A balance not collected becomes a statement, then a phone call, then possibly a collections agency — each step slower and less likely to get paid in full.

What Slows Money Down

Common slowdowns: claims that sit before submission instead of going out same-day, insurance follow-up that gets delayed when things get busy, and time-of-service balances that get skipped at check-out. Each of these adds days — sometimes weeks — to how long the practice waits to get paid.

Check Your Understanding

1. What does Days in AR actually measure?

Correct. Days in AR is about the time it takes to get paid, not visit volume or pricing.

Not quite. Days in AR measures how long it takes to collect payment after a visit.

2. What mostly determines time-of-service collections?

Correct. Time-of-service collections are shaped by front-desk work at the visit itself.

Not quite. This is driven by front-desk actions at check-in and check-out, not later billing.

3. What happens to a patient balance that isn't collected at time of service?

Correct. Uncollected balances turn into statements, calls, and sometimes collections — each step slower and less certain.

Not quite. An uncollected balance turns into a slower, harder collection process down the line.

Great work — you have completed Round 2.

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