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Denials & A/R resources

Guides for reducing claim denials, recovering aged accounts receivable, and improving clean claim rates so your practice gets paid faster.

97 Denial Code Explained: What It Means and How to Fix It

CARC 97 means the service is bundled into another procedure. Learn what triggers it (NCCI PTP edits), the modifier 59/X-modifier fix, and when to appeal.

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A/R Aging Report in Medical Billing: How to Read It and Work Every Bucket (2026)

An A/R aging report sorts unpaid claims by 0-30, 31-60, 61-90, 91-120, 120+ days. Target under 25% of A/R over 90. Bucket table, worked example, playbook.

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Appeal Letter Template for Medical Billing (with Examples)

How to write a medical billing appeal letter that wins: required elements, three sample templates by denial type (CARC 50, 197, 97), and payer appeal levels.

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B7 Denial Code: Provider Not Certified for This Service — How to Fix It (2026)

B7 means the provider wasn't certified/eligible to be paid for this service on this DOS. Causes, the PECOS/credentialing fix, and a B7 vs CO-185 vs CO-8 table.

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BCBS Denial Codes List: BlueCard, Prefixes & How to Fix Each (2026)

BCBS denial codes map to standard X12 CARC/RARC values. Decoder tables for common Blue Cross Blue Shield denials, BlueCard routing, and the alpha-prefix fix.

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Cardiology Denial Cheat Sheet: Top CARC Codes, Causes, Fixes, and Appeal Angles

The top cardiology billing denials by CARC code — cath-lab bundling (97/236), stress-test supervision, echo downcoding, prior auth (197) — each with the fix and appeal angle.

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Clean Claim Rate Formula and Target Benchmark (2026)

How to calculate clean claim rate the right way, the HFMA MAP Keys benchmark, what counts as 'clean,' and the 9 process levers that move CCR from 88% to 97%.

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Clearinghouse Rejection vs Payer Denial: The Critical Distinction

Why clearinghouse rejections are not denials, what happens to each, why timely filing implications differ, and how the 277CA tells the difference.

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CO-129 Denial Code: What It Means and How to Fix It (2026)

CO-129 means prior processing info appears incorrect — usually a corrected claim filed without frequency code 7 or the right original claim number. The fix.

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CO-16 Denial Code: What It Means and How to Fix It (2026)

CO-16 means the claim lacks information needed for adjudication. The fix lives in the paired RARC. Decoder table for N822, M51, N290, N382 and how to fix each.

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CO-22 Denial Code: Coordination of Benefits — How to Fix It

CO-22 means care may be covered by another payer per coordination of benefits. Learn the COB-order causes, the bill-primary-first fix, and the appeal steps.

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CO-236 Denial Code: NCCI Compatibility Meaning & How to Fix It

CO-236 means a procedure/modifier combo is not NCCI-compatible. Learn the Modifier Indicator 0/1/9 fix, when to add modifier 59/X, and when to write off.

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CO-29 Denial Reason: Timely Filing Limit Expired — How to Fix It

CO-29 denial reason: the time limit for filing has expired. See timely filing limits by payer, appeal-winning exceptions, and a copy-paste appeal template.

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CO-A1 Denial Code: What It Means and How to Fix It (2026)

CO-A1 means the claim/service is denied and at least one Remark Code must be provided. The real reason lives in the paired RARC. Decoder table + fix workflow.

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Common CARC and RARC Codes: Denial Codes Reference

Reference list of the most common CARC and RARC codes used by payers, with one-line meaning and operational fix for each. Built for denial worklists.

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Days in A/R: Formula, Benchmark, and How to Reduce It

How to calculate days in A/R, where the MGMA/HFMA benchmark really sits by specialty, aging-bucket targets, and the four levers that bring your number down.

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Denial Management in Healthcare: Complete Guide with CARC Code Reference

Complete denial management guide: top 25 CARC codes with fixes, the 6-step workflow, appeal templates, and how practices drop denial rates below 5%.

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Denial Rate by Specialty (2026): Where the Real Numbers Sit

Initial denial rates by specialty — primary care, behavioral health, surgical, OB-GYN, radiology, dermatology — and the top denial driver for each (MGMA/AAPC).

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Dermatology Billing Benchmarks (2026): KPIs, Denial Rates & Targets

Dermatology billing benchmarks for 2026: clean claim rate, denial rate, days in A/R, and net collection rate bands, plus top derm CARC denials and fixes.

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How to Improve Clean Claim Rate

A high clean claim rate means faster payments and fewer denials. Learn actionable strategies to improve your first-pass claim acceptance rate with MedPrecision.

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How to Recover Aged A/R

Aged A/R collection probability drops below 50% past 90 days, below 30% past 120. Recovery workflow: triage, payer escalation, and the appeal queue.

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How to Reduce Claim Denials

Claim denials cost practices 5-10% of revenue. Five-step prevention workflow with the front-end checks, coding rules, and KPIs that drop denial rate below 5%.

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Medical Billing Denial Benchmarks 2026: Industry Data, Specialty Breakdowns, Top Denial Codes

Where your denial rate should land in 2026: MGMA/HFMA ranges by specialty, the CARC codes driving denials, and the gap between initial and final denial rates.

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Mental Health Billing Denials Cheat Sheet: CARC Codes, Causes, Fixes, and Appeal Angles

The top mental health billing denials in one reference: CARC code, plain-English cause, code/modifier context, the operational fix, and the appeal angle for each.

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N822 & N823 Remark Codes: Missing or Invalid Modifier — How to Fix

N822 means a missing procedure modifier; N823 means an invalid one. Learn the CO-16 + N822 fix, the modifier-by-specialty triggers, and how to resubmit.

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Net Collection Rate vs Gross Collection Rate: The Real Difference

Why gross collection rate misleads, why net collection rate is the true performance metric, the formulas, the HFMA target, and how to compute both correctly.

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Orthopedic Denial Cheat Sheet: Top CARC Codes, Causes, Fixes and Appeal Angles (2026)

The top orthopedic billing denials by CARC code — global-period 97, prior-auth 197, NCCI 236, info-missing 16 — each with the cause, modifier context, fix and appeal angle.

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Physical Therapy Denial Cheat Sheet: Top PT Denials by CARC Code, Cause, Fix, and Appeal Angle

The top physical therapy billing denials by CARC code — 97140+97530 bundling (CARC 97/236), missing GP/KX modifiers, auth gaps (197) — with the fix and appeal angle for each.

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PR-1, PR-2, PR-3 Patient Responsibility Codes: Deductible, Coinsurance & Copay Explained

PR-1 = deductible, PR-2 = coinsurance, PR-3 = copay. What each means, when to bill the patient, and when NOT. Side-by-side table plus the statement workflow.

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PR-227 Denial Code: What It Means and How to Fix It (2026)

PR-227 means info the payer requested from the patient wasn't provided. COB and other-insurance causes, how to get them to respond, plus PR-31 vs CO-16.

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PR-27 Denial Code: Expenses After Coverage Terminated — How to Fix It

PR-27 means expenses incurred after coverage terminated. The causes, the re-verify-and-rebill fix, PR-27 vs PR-26 vs CO-27, and an appeal template.

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PR-31 Denial Code: Patient Cannot Be Identified as Our Insured — How to Fix It

PR-31 / CARC 31 means the patient cannot be identified as the payer's insured. Learn the causes (wrong member ID, name mismatch, wrong payer) and the fix.

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PR-95 Denial Code: Plan Procedures Not Followed — How to Fix It

PR-95 means plan procedures not followed: missing referral, no prior auth, or out-of-network. Learn the fix, retro-auth, and when you can bill the patient.

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Urgent Care Denial Cheat Sheet: Top CARC Denials, Causes, Fixes, and Appeal Angles

The top urgent care billing denials by CARC code — POS 20 vs 11, modifier 25 on procedure-bundled E/M, S-code routing, auth — with the fix and appeal angle for each.

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What Is A/R in Medical Billing? Days in A/R, Aging Buckets, and How to Manage Them

A/R in medical billing explained: days-in-A/R calculation, aging buckets (0-30, 31-60, 61-90, 90+), the collection probability curve, and how to keep A/R under.

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