How-to-use-AI-driven-analytics-platform-to-track-AR

How to use AI-driven analytics platform to track AR

by Carrie Bauman

Introduction

Managing accounts receivable in healthcare is crucial for ensuring a steady cash flow and financial stability. However, tracking and managing outstanding AR can be a time-consuming and complex task for healthcare organizations. Fortunately, advancements in AI for accounts receivable are revolutionizing the way healthcare providers track and resolve outstanding balances.

In this blog, we will explore how AI-driven analytics platforms like WhiteSpace Health help healthcare organizations optimize their AR management. You’ll learn about the key performance indicators (KPIs) you should monitor, and how AI can streamline your accounts receivable processes, ultimately reducing AR days and improving your financial outlook.

Outstanding AR Challenges in Healthcare Organizations

Accounts receivable in healthcare come with unique challenges due to the complexity of billing systems, multiple payer sources, and regulatory compliance. Outstanding AR can lead to cash flow issues, delayed payments, and strained operations.

According to a study by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), hospitals are facing an increase in unpaid medical bills, with patient responsibility accounting for up to 30% of their revenue. This situation becomes even more difficult to manage when outstanding AR starts aging into bad debt or is spread across various payers and patients.

Moreover, insurance claim delays create additional complications. They disrupt cash flow, strain resources, and affect patient satisfaction. As delays stretch beyond 90 days, your organization is left scrambling to cover costs and maintain its operations.

Healthcare organizations often face these challenges.

  • Increased AR days due to slow payment processing
  • Difficulty in tracking outstanding AR across multiple payers
  • High rates of denied claims and rejections lead to increased accounts receivable
  • Inconsistent follow-up on unpaid balances
  • Lack of actionable insights into aging accounts receivable buckets.

These challenges can significantly impact your organization’s ability to maintain a positive cash flow, making AI in accounts receivable a necessity.

How Can Healthcare Organizations Use AI-Driven Analytics Platforms to Track Accounts Receivables?

By leveraging an AI-driven analytics platform, you can transform the way you manage and track your accounts receivable. AI technologies, combined with data analytics, can automate manual tasks, detect patterns, and provide predictive insights, enabling your finance team to focus on high-priority tasks.

Here’s how AI for accounts receivable works in healthcare.

Automated Tracking of AR

AI platforms continuously monitor outstanding AR across all payers and patients, allowing you to see real-time insights into your receivables.

Prediction of Payment Timelines

AI algorithms can analyze past payment behaviors to predict when outstanding claims will be paid, reducing uncertainty around AR days.

Actionable Insights

AI helps you identify trends such as slow-paying insurance providers or patient groups, enabling you to prioritize collection efforts more effectively.

Claim Denial Management

AI can automatically flag and follow up on denied claims, helping to reduce the time they linger in your accounts receivable.

Incorporating AI in accounts receivable can greatly reduce the administrative burden on your team while improving the efficiency and accuracy of AR tracking. With the right AI-driven platform, you will gain valuable insights into your receivables, allowing you to make data-driven decisions.

Claim-Denial-Management

Accounts Receivable KPIs in WhiteSpace Health Platform

Tracking the right KPIs is crucial for effective accounts receivable management. WhiteSpace Health’s AI-powered platform provides a comprehensive view of AR performance through the following KPIs:

Rolling A/R

This KPI measures the ongoing collection of outstanding AR. It gives you a daily or weekly view of how well your collections are progressing.

AR Days

One of the most critical KPIs is AR days, which measures the average time it takes to collect payments. The goal is to keep AR days as low as possible to ensure your healthcare organization maintains healthy cash flow.

AR by Insurance by Patient Excluding Bad Debt

This KPI allows you to see accounts receivable based on the payer and patient, while excluding bad debt. It helps you focus on the most collectible accounts, streamlining your collection efforts.

AR by Insurance/Patient (Monthly Trending)

Monthly trends in accounts receivable by insurance or patient are essential for identifying slow-paying groups. By understanding these trends, you can adjust your collection strategies.

AR-by-Insurance-Patient-Monthly-Trending
AR Aging

Tracking the aging of your outstanding AR helps you understand how long receivables have been unpaid. This KPI divides receivables into aging buckets (e.g., 30, 60, 90 days) so you can prioritize collections based on the length of time they’ve been outstanding.

Rolling AR Daily

This metric provides a daily update on your accounts receivable performance, allowing you to monitor any changes in real time and adjust your strategies accordingly.

Rolling AR by Aging Buckets

With this KPI, you can see the rolling trend of AR aging. It helps you spot if more receivables are moving into older aging buckets and signals when to take more aggressive collection actions.

AR by Original FC

This KPI shows your accounts receivable by the original financial class (FC), giving you insight into which financial classes are causing delays in payment and affecting your cash flow.

AR by Original FC

WhiteSpace Health’s AR Capabilities Help Healthcare Organizations

WhiteSpace Health’s AI-driven platform offers robust tools to help you manage and optimize your accounts receivable in healthcare. Its advanced analytics and automation capabilities provide actionable insights and streamline AR processes, allowing you to focus on reducing outstanding AR and shortening AR days.

Here is how WhiteSpace Health platform monitors and actions AR.

Automated Alerts

You can set up alerts for when outstanding AR crosses a certain threshold or when claims enter older aging buckets.

Predictive Analytics

The platform’s predictive tools help you estimate when payments will be received, allowing you to make informed decisions about cash flow management.

Predictive Analytics
Denial Resolution

With AI-powered claims tracking, you can quickly identify, and resolve denied claims, preventing them from aging into uncollectible debt.

Customizable Dashboards

You’ll have access to customizable dashboards that show your accounts receivable KPIs, giving you a clear view of where to focus your collection efforts.

With these features, WhiteSpace Health enables you to reduce the administrative workload, enhance the accuracy of your AR tracking, and accelerate the payment collection process.

Conclusion

Tracking accounts receivable in healthcare can be daunting, but with AI-driven platforms like WhiteSpace Health, you can streamline your AR processes and significantly improve financial performance. By leveraging AI for accounts receivable, you’ll reduce AR days, improve collections, and gain greater control over your outstanding AR.

The ability to access real-time insights and predictive analytics can transform how your healthcare organization manages receivables, allowing you to make proactive decisions that ensure a healthier bottom line.

By implementing an AI in accounts receivable strategy, you can free up valuable time, improve collection efficiency, and keep your cash flow steady, ensuring the financial success of your organization.

Let WhiteSpace Health’s platform be your solution to effective accounts receivable management today!

About Carrie Bauman

Carrie
A 30-year veteran in healthcare IT, Carrie Bauman is responsible for marketing, communications and business development strategies that drive brand awareness, growth and value for clients, partners, and investors.

carrie.bauman@whitespacehealth.com