Beyond the Math—What Your A/R Is Really Telling You About FQHC Performance
Introduction
Revenue and A/R management are more than numbers—they are windows into the operational health of your FQHC. Instead of simply asking, “How much do we have outstanding?” the better question is: “What story does our A/R tell us about our billing, workflows, and payer relationships?” In this blog, we explore how to interpret A/R in context and use it to improve your financial strategy.
1. The Hidden Costs of High A/R
When A/R is bloated or aging past 90 days, the problem isn’t just cash flow—it’s staff time, compliance risk, and the opportunity cost of missed funding. Delays in revenue cycle performance can impact everything from provider productivity to grant reporting.
Key Red Flag:
- A/R > 180 days growing quarter over quarter
- Consistent rejections from a specific payer
High volume of self-pay balances left unresolved
2. Connecting Revenue to Operational Processes
A/R problems often originate upstream—from front desk data capture to eligibility verification and authorization processes.
Ask Yourself:
- Are demographic errors leading to denials?
- Are claim holds due to credentialing issues?
- Are we accurately capturing all encounter data?
3. What “Clean Claims” Mean for Revenue Accuracy
The cleaner the claim on submission, the faster and more likely it is to be paid.
Best Practice:
- Track First Pass Resolution Rate (FPRR) – your goal should be 90%+
- Audit claims denied for COB, coding, or eligibility and categorize by payer
4. A/R and Revenue Trend Analysis for Growth
Beyond looking at how much is outstanding, analyze trends:
- Are we increasing collections in line with visit volume?
- Are we over-relying on specific payers?
- Are we allocating billing staff time efficiently?
5. Strategic Use of Reporting Tools
Use dashboards and monthly revenue cycle reports to visualize trends:
- Payer reimbursement lags
- Provider-level productivity vs. collections
- Aging spikes by CPT code or visit type
At Synergy Billing, we help FQHCs identify these insights through our plug-and-play reporting tools and performance reviews.
Conclusion
Revenue and A/R are not just KPIs—they are reflections of how well your FQHC is operating across departments. By looking beyond the numbers and interpreting the why behind A/R behavior, you can build a stronger, more resilient financial foundation. Synergy Billing specializes in helping Community Health Centers turn insights into action. We are here to support your center; we work exclusively with FQHC’s schedule a discovery call today.
