My colleagues in the healing professions,
After years of watching which practices thrive and which merely survive, one fact remains constant: revenue earned at the point of care must be protected afterwards. Claims left unattended lose value slowly, quietly, and then irretrievably. A weekly AR follow-up report is a disciplined remedy. It keeps money moving, prevents avoidable denials, and lets clinicians focus on patients rather than chasing paperwork.
Below is a practical, step-by-step guide to running a weekly AR follow-up report that is readable, repeatable, and respectful of the busy practices you run. It preserves the tone of counsel and craft, while giving you the exact fields, SLAs, scripts, and KPIs to use. Implement this and you will see fewer write-offs and steadier cash flow.
What a weekly AR follow-up report is, and why it matters
A weekly AR follow-up report is a prioritized extract of your accounts receivable that focuses on next actions. It takes the raw AR aging report and converts it into a worklist for your billing team. Think of it as rounds for your revenue: you inspect, triage, treat, and document.
Why weekly? Because timing matters. Denials are easier to appeal early, payer hold reasons are easier to resolve before additional adjudication occurs, and patients are more likely to respond to recent balance notices. Weekly cadence makes the difference between a claim that is resolved and one that ages into a write-off.
Primary goals of the weekly report:
- Reduce days in AR.
- Lower percentage of AR over 90 days.
- Resolve denials before appeal windows close.
- Assign clear ownership and next steps for each claim.
Why weekly? Because timing matters. Denials are easier to appeal early, payer hold reasons are easier to resolve before additional adjudication occurs, and patients are more likely to respond to recent balance notices. Weekly cadence makes the difference between a claim that is resolved and one that ages into a write-off.
Core inputs you must export each week
Begin with these exports from your practice management system or EHR:
- AR aging report by claim.
- Claim adjudication detail, including EOBs and denial reason codes.
- Cash application ledger for the week.
- Call and outreach logs.
- Current appeals queue and payer contact list.
Standard aging buckets to use: 0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days, 90+ days. Add quick filters for balance greater than $500, top payers by balance, and assigned staff.
The step-by-step weekly workflow
Run this process each week. It is short, accountable, and decisive.
Export and clean the data
Export all open claims with balances. Normalize payer names to avoid duplicates. Remove claims currently in active appeals tracking from the main worklist to prevent duplicate work. Populate two calculated fields: Aging bucket, and Days in AR. Use either report date minus DOS or report date minus last activity consistently across reports.
Prioritize
Not all claims are equal. Prioritize like a clinician:
- Priority A: over 90 days or balance greater than $1,000.
- Priority B: 61–90 days, or recent denials needing attention.
- Priority C: 31–60 days with missing documentation or awaiting patient action.
- Priority D: 0–30 days, monitor and send automated reminders.
This prioritization focuses staff time where it produces the largest return.
Assign owners and set next actions
Every claim row must include an Assigned To field and a Next Action. Ownership prevents delay. Next actions must be specific: call payer, refile claim, submit appeal with chart, send patient reminder, or document promised payment.
Execute outreach and appeals
Use short, repeatable scripts when you call or email payers and patients. Document reference numbers and promise-to-pay dates. For denials requiring documentation, assemble records and prepare an appeal within 7 business days. For filing errors, correct and refile immediately.
Update status and close
When a claim resolves, mark it closed and record resolution time and cash collected. Archive closed items to measure throughput and to feed your case study or monthly review.
Exact columns for your downloadable weekly AR template
Set up your spreadsheet in this order so pivots and filters are simple to build.
| No | Field |
| 1 | Claim ID / Invoice # |
| 2 | Patient name or guarantor |
| 3 | DOS (date of service) |
| 4 | Payer name |
| 5 | CPT / Service codes (primary) |
| 6 | Billed amount |
| 7 | Paid amount to date |
| 8 | Balance due |
| 9 | Aging bucket (0–30 / 31–60 / 61–90 / 90+) |
| 10 | Days in AR (calculated) |
| 11 | Claim status (Submitted / Pending / Denied / In Appeal / Partially Paid) |
| 12 | Denial reason code |
| 13 | Last activity date |
| 14 | Next action (phone / resubmit / appeal / patient contact) |
| 15 | Next action due date |
| 16 | Assigned to |
| 17 | Follow-up attempts (count) |
| 18 | Promise-to-pay date |
| 19 | Estimated collectible |
| 20 | Notes / audit trail |
Practical Filters and Formulas
To make your weekly AR review easier:
Filter your report by Aging bucket greater than 90 days, balances over $500, the top 10 payers by balance, or by assigned staff.
Use this formula to track overall AR efficiency:
Weighted Days in AR = SUM(Days_in_AR × Balance) / SUM(Balance)
This gives a balance-weighted picture of your outstanding AR and highlights where follow-up will have the most impact.
SLA matrix you can copy into your SOPs
| Aging bucket | Aging bucket |
|---|---|
| >90 days or balance > $1,000 | High risk / high dollar |
| 61–90 days | Denied or delayed |
| 31–60 days | Missing documentation / patient follow-up |
| 0–30 days | New balances |
| Action | SLA |
|---|---|
| Daily payer outreach, manager escalation | Initial outreach same business day; escalate to manager within 48 hours |
| Outreach within 3 business days; prepare appeal | Appeal prepared within 7 business days |
| Weekly outreach; correct within 10 business days | Weekly check |
| Automated reminders; monitor | Automated touchpoint within 3–7 days |
This is a template. Adapt SLA times to your payer contracts and practice size.
HS MED Solutions, How We Recover Revenue
At HS MED Solutions we treat revenue recovery like your daily practice. We assess your accounts, take action, and measure results. Using the weekly AR follow-up report, we focus on claims that matter most such as over 90-day balances, high-dollar accounts, and recent denials. Our goal is simple: turn aging receivables into cash so your team can focus on patient care.
What we do
- Rapid AR audit and prioritization. We create a single weekly worklist for your team to follow.
- Payer remediation and appeals. We fix filing errors and submit complete appeal packets.
- Patient engagement and payment recovery. We use short scripts and flexible payment plans.
- Templates and coaching. We provide the weekly AR template, SLA rules, and training so improvements last.
Results you can expect
Fewer write-offs, lower Days in AR, and steadier monthly cash flow.
Outreach scripts and templates
Keep scripts tight, professional, and consistent. Copy these into your ticketing or call-note system.
Payer phone script (30 seconds):
Hello, this is [Name] at HS MED Solutions. I am calling about Claim ID [####], DOS [mm/dd/yyyy], billed [amount]. Please confirm current status and any outstanding documentation required. May I have your reference number for this call? Thank you.
Payer email template:
Subject: Claim [Claim ID] — DOS [mm/dd/yyyy] — Status Request
Body:
Hello [Rep name],
We are following up on Claim [ID] for DOS [date], billed [amount]. Current status shows [status]. Please confirm the adjudication reason and any documentation required to process payment. Reference: [internal ticket ID]. Best, [Name], HS MED Solutions
Patient call template:
Hello [Patient], this is [Name] from [Practice]. Our records show a balance of [$]. We can help with portal payment, card, or a short payment plan. When would be a convenient date to resolve this balance?
Document every call with date, time, rep name, and reference number. These simple notes accelerate appeals and prevent rework.
KPIs to display at the top of the weekly report
Display these metrics prominently each week. Assign an owner and a target for each.
- Days in AR, weighted, target depends on specialty.
- Percentage of AR over 90 days, target under 20 percent where reasonable.
- Denial rate, calculated as denied claims divided by submitted claims in the prior 30 days.
- Cash collected this week, absolute dollars.
- Resolution time, average days from first follow-up to closure.
- Promise-to-pay kept percent, promises kept divided by promises taken.
These KPIs turn follow-up into measurable improvement rather than a task list.
A short case example
A three-provider clinic began running a disciplined weekly AR follow-up report. Baseline: Days in AR 58 and percent AR over 90 days at 32 percent. After ten weeks of strict SLA adherence, daily outreach on >90 items, and standard appeal templates, Days in AR fell to 34 and percent AR over 90 days fell to 18 percent. The clinic reported fewer write-offs and faster cash conversion on high-dollar claims. Results like these come from consistent rhythm, not heroic effort.
Automation and tools
Schedule a weekly CSV export from your practice management system with the columns above. Use rule-based flags for balance greater than $1,000 and days greater than 90 to highlight priority rows. If your PMS supports attaching EOBs and documentation to claim rows, use that feature to speed appeal prep. Consider a lightweight ticketing column or a shared task board to avoid duplicate work.
Final counsel
Revenue is earned with care and preserved with discipline. A weekly AR follow-up report is your practice’s routine for revenue preservation. It is short, repeatable, and accountable. Adopt the template above, enforce the SLAs, and make the weekly report the single source of truth for AR follow-up in your practice.
Important FAQs
Ownership should be clear: assign a billing lead (or your RCM partner) as the AR owner, with manager-level escalation for >90-day or high-dollar items. Ownership ensures accountability and prevents items from falling through the cracks.
ou should see initial improvements within 4–6 weeks (clearing easy wins, correcting filing errors). More substantial KPI shifts notably Days in AR and % AR >90 typically appear in 8–12 weeks with consistent SLA enforcement.
Yes. Schedule weekly exports from your PMS, auto-flag rows by aging or balance, and use templates for outreach. Automation reduces manual work but still requires human follow-up for appeals and payer negotiations.
2 Responses
The point about claims losing value over time really resonates with me. A consistent follow-up schedule is crucial to ensure practices aren’t leaving money on the table. I agree thataweeklyARreporthelpsinstayingproactive,ratherthanreactive,inrevenuemanagement.
Thanks – Enjoyed this post, can I set it up so I receive an alert email when you write a fresh post?