Cardiology AR days show how long it takes, on average, for your practice to collect after providing a service. Consequently, when the number climbs, cash flow slows, old claims become harder to collect, and staff also spend more time chasing payment.
However, cardiology faces extra pressure because many services, such as imaging and procedures, require prior authorization and detailed coding. For this reason, this guide explains how to measure AR days and the eight strategies that bring them down.
How Do You Calculate Cardiology AR Days?
Put simply, AR days equal total accounts receivable divided by average daily charges. For example, if you have $500,000 in AR and average $10,000 in daily charges over the last 90 days, your AR days are 50.
In general, many practices aim for fewer than 40 AR days and keep less than 15% to 20% of AR older than 90 days. Even so, benchmarks vary by payer mix. Therefore, track your own trend month over month.
Where AR days come from
Three places cardiology revenue gets stuck
Front end
Eligibility, demographics, and prior authorization for imaging and procedures.
Mid cycle
Coding, modifiers such as 26 and TC, and claim scrubbing.
Back end
Follow-up, denials, payment posting, and patient balances.
Therefore, fix all three to lower AR days for good.
Strategies 1–3: Prevent Delays Before the Claim
1. Verify eligibility every visit. First, confirm coverage, network status, and benefits before each appointment. As a result, you avoid denials for inactive plans. See our eligibility verification best practices for a full checklist.
2. Manage prior authorization early. Nuclear stress tests, echocardiograms, cardiac CT and MRI, and many procedures often need authorization, sometimes through a radiology benefit manager. Therefore, request it as soon as the order is placed, track the status, and confirm the CPT codes and dates match the scheduled service.
3. Submit claims quickly. After that, send clean claims electronically within one to two days of the service or report. After all, every day of delay adds directly to AR days.
Strategies 4–5: Improve Clean Claims in Cardiology
4. Scrub every claim. To start, use claim scrubbing rules for diagnosis-procedure matches, NCCI edits, and required modifiers. In cardiology, that includes modifier 26 and TC for split imaging services and the correct place of service. You can check each code’s professional and technical component indicators in the CMS Physician Fee Schedule Look-Up Tool.
5. Train coders on cardiology rules. In addition, review annual code changes for echo, cardiac catheterization, device monitoring, and stress testing. Likewise, regular feedback keeps errors from repeating.
Strategies 6–8: Speed Up Follow-Up and Payment
6. Follow up by age and value. To begin, start checking unpaid claims around day 14 to 21, depending on the payer. Moreover, prioritize high-dollar claims, such as catheterizations and device implants.
7. Work denials within 48 hours. Next, sort denials by reason, correct simple errors right away, and appeal medical necessity denials with full records. Our cardiology denial management team handles this end to end.
8. Automate posting and collect patient balances. Finally, enroll in ERA and EFT with every payer and post payments daily. Additionally, estimate patient responsibility before service, collect at check-in, and offer payment plans for large balances.
Which Cardiology AR Days Metrics Should You Track?
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| AR days | Your primary measure of collection speed |
| AR over 90 days | Shows how much revenue is at risk of write-off |
| Clean claim rate | Reveals front-end and coding problems |
| Denial rate by reason | Points to the root cause to fix |
| Days from service to claim | Measures charge lag inside your practice |
Whenever one metric slips, trace it back to its stage. For instance, a rising denial rate for authorization often means the front desk needs a better tracking process.
How Dr Biller RCM Lowers Cardiology AR Days
Our cardiology billing services cover authorization tracking, cardiology coding, claim scrubbing, follow-up, and denial work. Meanwhile, our payment posting services post ERAs daily, so your AR reports always reflect reality.
Request a free cardiology AR analysis . That way, you will see exactly where your cash is stuck.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good AR days target for cardiology?
In general, many practices target fewer than 40 AR days. However, the right goal depends on your payer mix, so compare your own trend over time.
How do I calculate AR days?
To calculate it, divide total accounts receivable by average daily charges, usually based on the last 90 days.
Why are cardiology AR days often high?
In most cases, prior authorization, complex imaging and procedure coding, and high-dollar claims that payers review closely all slow payment.
When should AR follow-up start?
In most cases, start follow-up two to three weeks after submission, and sooner for high-dollar claims.
