Top 5 Signs Your Practice Is Missing Collections (And What to Do About It)

Collecting what a practice has already earned is good for its profit. Many offices do not know they miss dental revenue each month. If a person is an owner or office manager, the missed payments hurt a business; they also increase a team's work, anger patients along with cloud financial clarity.

In this article, we show the Top 5 signs a practice misses collections, from aging A/R reports to patients who do not pay, and even faulty AR data a person does not trust. We show practical steps, like a four notice system, automatic reminders, good front desk speech, and team instruction, that help regain that lost revenue. A person will find clear ideas and useful plans, such as "verify insurance before a dental appointment" and "automate dental collections reminders," and a new view of dental revenue protection.

We will discuss what causes a problem and how to fix it. This lets a team focus on patient care, not on getting money.

Sign #1: Aging Accounts Receivable Get Bigger

Aging A/R that gets bigger, particularly 60-day and 90-day balances, is often a first sign that a practice leaves revenue uncollected. Each day those balances stay, they become harder to collect, and a practice risks losing them completely. As an example, A/R that is over 90 days old is less likely to resolve. Accounts over 12 months old probably cost more to process than the amount owed.

What to watch for

• A trend in A/R aging reports shows an increase.
• There is a delay between service delivery and claims or collections.
• Staff postpone follow up until balances get old.

Helpful tips

• Run an aging report weekly, divide it by 30, 60 in addition to 90-day sections.
• Track the percentage of A/R over 60 days as a measure.
• Set goals - for example, keep under 10 percent of total A/R over 60 days.
• Put collection reminders into staff work.

Useful idea - Use a reverse aging alert. When an account goes into the 30-day section again, celebrate that success and adjust forecasts - it supports good practice habits and lifts team spirits.

Sign #2: A Team Spends Too Much Time on Balances

If front desk or billing staff spend many hours each day on manual follow up for unpaid claims or patient balances, it shows poor use of time and lost collections. Time spent on calls, emails, or letters is costly. It also takes a team away from getting revenue and working with patients.

What to do

• Check how much time staff spend on follow ups.
• Automate reminders through text or email with a way to pay.
• Prioritize balances over a certain amount - for example, $100 or more.
• Teach staff clear, kind communication.

Useful idea - Start "collection sprints." This is a focused hour when only overdue accounts are handled. Include a 10-minute team reward, such as coffee or a break, to reset attention and spirits.

Sign #3: Patients Leave Without Paying at Checkout

Missed copays or balances at the point of care happen often. Even small amounts add up a lot. Unclear rules, too few staff, or little instruction often cause patients to leave without paying - this creates bigger problems later.

What causes this

• Vague payment rules.
• Staff hesitate to talk about cost.
• No payment tools at the point of service, like card-on-file or terminals.

Actions to take

• Make a clear, signed financial rule, which a person shares before care.
• Train staff in confident cost talks - for example, "payment expected at time of service."
• Use real time systems to check coverage and get payment at the site.

Useful idea - Frame the payment talk as part of patient care, not a simple exchange. For example: "To ensure good care and avoid delays, we collect today's balance at the start." Doing it this way helps patients accept.

Sign #4: Frequent Billing Mistakes or Posting Errors

Billing problems, such as wrong patient details, copied accounts next to incorrect EOB posting, cause confusion and lost collections. Missed accurate payment postings can make patient calls and error fixes take a lot of time.

Signs of trouble

• Patient complaints about wrong balances.
• Differences between systems.
• Unresolved small balances that add up.

Ways to stop problems

• Standardize EOB posting with templates and notes.
• Scan and attach papers to a patient's chart.
• Regularly check for copies or split claims.

Useful idea - Ask staff to add a one sentence note after posting - for example, "EOB matches, balance correct, updated on mm/dd." This small habit builds a sense of duty and reduces confusion.

Sign #5: Untrustworthy A/R Reports and Collections Metrics

When A/R reports feel "off" or a collection percentage does not meet expectations, a practice probably has big balances, unposted payments, or wrong adjustments. If a person does not know the true collection percentage, they probably leave more money uncollected than they think.

Warning signs

• Numbers that do not match across software and bank deposits.
• Reports that show old or double entered balances.
• A collection percentage that is always lower than a production margin.

Solutions

• Match software with bank records regularly.
• Use checks - deposits versus ledgers versus A/R.
• Track collection percentage (collected divided by production) each month.

Useful idea - Run an internal "collections health check" each quarter. Compare three data sources - PMS, bank deposits, insurance payments. Review differences as a team task to build responsibility.

What to Do - Proven Strategies to Improve Collections

• Implement a structured Four-Notice Technique - statement (day 0), reminder (30 days), firm notice (60 days), final notice (90 days).
• Use real time insurance check to stop denials and surprises.
• Automate statements and payment reminders with email or SMS tools.
• Set clear financial rules and speech for staff to follow consistently.

Measure and Optimize - Tracking Key Measures

• Collection percentage: collected divided by production (goal 95 percent or more).
• A/R aging: percentage of balances over 60 days (goal less than 10 percent).
• Staff collection time: hours spent getting payments.
• Patient contacts: average number of reminders before payment.

Conclusion

Missed collections do not just cause a small decrease in income - they also reduce time, team spirit along with patient confidence. Recognizing the five signs, which include old accounts, staff time spent seeking payment, patients leaving without paying, errors in billing in addition to untrustworthy measurements, puts one close to solving the issue.

The solutions are not difficult. Implement a four notice follow-up method, automate statements and reminders, establish payment rules at checkout, and train your team in respectful yet firm communication. Combine that with consistent collections measurement plus a regular financial review, and you protect income while freeing your team to focus on patient care.

One powerful idea is to present payment talks as a part of medical care. As an example, saying, "Collecting today's balance helps us avoid delays later," builds confidence and encourages better compliance with little difficulty.

Doing this protects income - it permits more intelligent growth, happier staff next to more confident choices. To stop income loss but also gain collections, measure your actual collections percentage this week. You probably will feel surprise at how much is recoverable.