Average Days in Accounts Receivable for Solo Physician Statistics

Many outpatient physician practices use 30 to 40 days in accounts receivable as a healthy operating range, while balances aging beyond 60 or 90 days deserve focused review. SolopreneurPhysician uses days in A/R as a practical signal for when billing support needs tighter follow-up routines.

Average Days in Accounts Receivable for Solo Physician Statistics

Days in A/R estimates how long it takes a practice to convert billed charges into collected cash. A rising number can point to payer delay, denial backlog, missing documentation, patient-balance friction, or weak follow-up cadence.

Source note: The Medical Group Management Association publishes practice operations and revenue-cycle benchmarking resources. See MGMA resources for current practice-management context.

A/R Benchmarks

Solo practices should not look only at the average. The share of A/R over 90 days can be more revealing because old balances become harder to collect.

The best operational review pairs days in A/R with denial rate, clean claim rate, and patient-balance aging. Our denial rate statistics article covers the denial side.

Cash Flow Signals

When days in A/R rises, the physician often feels it as payroll stress before the spreadsheet looks alarming. A VA can help maintain payer follow-up notes, track missing documentation, and keep aging worklists from going stale.

For staffing-cost context, see our VA cost data.

FAQ

What is a good days in A/R target?

Many practices treat 30 to 40 days as a reasonable benchmark. Specialty, payer mix, and patient-balance volume can change the target.

What causes high days in A/R?

Common causes include denials, delayed posting, missing authorization, payer underpayment, slow patient collections, and inconsistent follow-up.