Collecting is hard work. It is often one of the most dreaded tasks for dermatology practitioners and their staff. Attempting to collect on old accounts receivable can mean repeated phone calls, follow-up emails or text messages, and even sending mailed inquiries. Too often, these efforts result in uncomfortable conversations with former patients and little progress toward closing out delinquent accounts.
If your practice is stuck in a never-ending loop of trying to collect on old accounts receivable so balances can finally be resolved, Derm Care Billing Consultants’ dermatology consultants is ready to help. Our team of certified billers, coders, office managers, and dedicated account specialists can handle every aspect of dermatology billing so your staff can focus on providing great service and positive patient interactions.
Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Old Accounts Receivable
Old accounts receivable are revenue lost if you just leave them uncollected. Most dermatology practices have already incurred the costs associated with providing care, including staffing, supplies, and administrative time. Leaving outstanding balances unresolved means those expenses may never be fully recovered.
Focusing on old accounts receivable allows practices to clean up aging balances, improve cash flow, and gain a clearer picture of their financial position. With the right strategy and support, delinquent accounts can often be resolved more efficiently than practices expect.
How DCBC Helps Practices Collect on Old Accounts Receivable
DermCare Billing Consultants supports dermatology practices by addressing the root causes of aging accounts while also assisting with active collection efforts. Because dermatology billing is all we do, our team understands how coding accuracy, claim handling, and follow-up processes directly affect accounts receivable.
DCBC helps improve dermatology billing by applying accurate coding and billing practices, which reduces invoicing errors and limits the need for repeated collections calls. When claims are coded correctly and submitted promptly, fewer balances become delinquent in the first place.
Our team can review your practice’s existing billing procedures, identify inefficiencies, and help streamline workflows so accounts are addressed earlier—before they become significantly aged. Because we have dedicated staff with experience in dermatology billing and collections, we are well-positioned to support practices in resolving older balances.
Supporting Your Team and Reducing Future Delinquencies
In addition to helping collect on old accounts receivable, DCBC can support your internal team through training and process improvement. By training staff in efficient coding and billing practices, practices can reduce claim denials, improve payment timelines, and minimize future receivables aging.
For practices that prefer a more comprehensive approach, DCBC can also provide customized billing support, front-office guidance, and assistance with sound financial decision-making. Reducing handoffs and relying on a dermatology-focused billing partner helps eliminate gaps that often contribute to delinquent accounts.
Why Choose DCBC for Old Accounts Receivable Support?
Because dermatology billing is our sole focus, DCBC offers a fully qualified team of dermatology consultants dedicated to accuracy, follow-through, and consistent communication. Our attention to detail helps practices recover outstanding balances while improving billing workflows that prevent future issues.
FAQs
How Old Does an Account Have to Be Before It Is Considered Old Accounts Receivable?
Many practices consider accounts receivable to be aging once a balance remains unpaid for 30, 60, 90, or 120 days, depending on the practice’s internal billing policies. However, the older a balance becomes, the more difficult it may be to resolve. A 30-day balance might simply need routine follow-up, while a 120-day one might require a closer review of claim status, patient communication, denial history, or payment posting.
Can Old Accounts Receivable Include Both Patient and Insurance Balances?
Yes. Old accounts receivable can include both unpaid patient balances and unresolved insurance balances. Patient balances may come from deductibles, copays, coinsurance, cosmetic services, or amounts remaining after insurance has processed a claim. Insurance balances might involve denied or underpaid claims, delayed payments, missing documentation, coding issues, or claims that were never fully followed up on.
Because these balances can have different causes, they often require different review and follow-up steps. Separating patient receivables from insurance receivables can help a dermatology practice better understand where delays are happening and what action is needed.
Why Do Dermatology Practices Often Struggle With Aging Receivables?
Dermatology practices often struggle with aging receivables because billing teams are juggling multiple responsibilities, including claims submission, coding questions, payment posting, patient billing, and insurance follow-up. When daily tasks take priority, older balances may be pushed aside until they become harder to resolve. Dermatology billing can also be particularly challenging because it involves medical, surgical, and cosmetic services, each with different requirements.
What Information Is Needed to Review Old Accounts Receivable?
Reviewing old accounts receivable usually requires a detailed look at the practice’s aging reports, patient account balances, claim histories, denial records, payment posting activity, and previous follow-up notes. For insurance balances, it may also be important to examine explanation of benefits documents, payer correspondence, coding details, documentation requests, and timely filing limits. For patient balances, the review might include statement history, payment plan information, prior communication, and financial policies. Having this information in one place helps determine whether a balance can still be collected, needs correction, should be appealed, or needs adjustment.
Can Old Claims Still Be Corrected and Resubmitted?
In some cases, old claims can still be corrected and resubmitted, but it depends on the payer’s rules, the reason for the original denial, and whether the claim is still within the allowed filing or appeal window.
A claim may be eligible for correction if there was a coding error, a missing modifier, incorrect patient information, a documentation issue, or a payer processing problem. However, if it is past the payer’s deadline, resubmission might not be possible.
What Happens If a Balance Is Too Old to Collect?
If a balance is too old to collect, the practice may need to adjust it, write it off, or handle it in accordance with its financial policies and applicable billing requirements. Carrying uncollectible balances for too long can make financial reports less accurate and create confusion for staff reviewing accounts receivable.
Before deciding that a balance cannot be collected, it is important to revisit the account history, payer rules, documentation, communication attempts, and any applicable deadlines. This process helps the practice make informed decisions and maintain cleaner, more accurate receivables going forward.
Contact Our Dermatology Billing Consultations Today
Because dermatology billing is all we do at DBCB, we have a fully qualified team of dermatology consultants who are always at the ready to support you through your collections journey. Our accuracy and attention to detail is second to none. If you’d like to start collecting on your old accounts receivables, contact us. We’ll make sure there’s NO outstanding money left on the table! Contact us today at (646) 630-8588 to get started.