The Hidden Revenue Leak in Optometry Practices
Most optometry practices focus heavily on patient volume, exams, and optical sales yet overlook one of the biggest revenue drains: inconsistent accounts receivable (AR) follow-up.
When claims aren’t actively tracked and worked, balances age quietly. Before you know it, timely filing limits pass, payers deny responsibility, and revenue is permanently lost.
The Unique AR Challenges in Optometry
Optometry AR is more complex than most specialties because you’re juggling:
• Medical insurance + vision plans
• Secondary and tertiary coordination of benefits
• High patient responsibility balances
• Frequent eligibility and benefit changes
• Payers that classify the same visit differently
These factors increase the chance of stalled claims and make consistent follow-up essential.
How Aging AR Buckets Predict Financial Risk
Break AR into performance-based buckets:
Many optometry practices don’t begin follow-up until claims are already in the 61+ day window, which is too late.
If you’re not reviewing your AR weekly, you’re already behind.
Request a no-obligation AR performance snapshot from AMS
What Poor AR Follow-Up Looks Like in Optometry
Common scenarios we see include:
- Claims submitted but never rechecked
- Forgetting to submit claims on websites (VSP, EyeMed etc…)
- Secondary insurance not billed
- Denials left unresolved
- No escalation after payer silence
- Aging AR reports reviewed too late or not at all
Each missed follow-up step chips away at your cash flow.
Real-World Example:
An optometry practice submits a medical claim for a diabetic eye exam. The payer requests documentation, but the notice is overlooked.
Result: Claim denies after 45 days and the filing window closes before resubmission.
That revenue? Gone.
How Strong Follow-Up Improves Cash Flow
Effective AR follow-up ensures:
✔ Faster reimbursement
✔ Fewer write-offs
✔ Lower AR days
✔ Improved payer accountability
✔ Clear visibility into what’s owed and why
Practices that actively manage AR recover thousands in delayed or denied payments each month.
Automation Without Oversight Still Fails
Practice management systems help, but they don’t replace human intervention.
Clearinghouse alerts don’t:
• Call payers
• Appeal denials
• Escalate underpaid claims
• Track patterns across payers
That’s where real AR recovery happens.
Why In-House Teams Struggle With Follow-Up
Even great billing staff face challenges like:
• High turnover
• Competing front-office responsibilities
• Lack of payer-specific training
• No time for daily claim status checks
Follow-up becomes reactive instead of proactive.
How AMS Helps
At Applied Medical Systems (AMS), AR follow-up isn’t passive. Our teams:
• Track claims from submission to payment
• Actively appeal denials
• Follow payer timelines aggressively
• Identify recurring payer issues
• Provide transparent AR reporting
Leaving AR unmanaged is leaving revenue behind.
Schedule a free AR review with AMS and see what’s still recoverable.