How Our Family Practice reduced billing backlog by 75% during an RCM transition

Building on momentum during a key transition

For years, billing responsibilities at Our Family Practice were handled by a third-party vendor. As the organization transitioned vendors and took on more of the revenue cycle responsibilities, they faced a challenge – they didn’t have the expertise in-house to manage their backlog and improve their billing performance.  

To support that effort, the practice partnered with athenahealth Advisory Services and engaged a dedicated revenue cycle management resource. Their goal was straightforward: maintain momentum during the transition, address outstanding claim opportunities, and position the practice for long-term success.

Turning weekly conversations into lasting value

One of the most valuable aspects of the engagement was the ongoing dialogue between the practice and the Advisory Services team.

Weekly meetings created a consistent forum to review progress, discuss questions, and identify opportunities for improvement. Rather than simply receiving updates, the practice became an active participant in the process, helping shape priorities and uncover areas where operational adjustments could have an even greater impact.

Those conversations fostered a strong sense of partnership. The practice appreciated having direct access to an expert who could provide guidance, explain recommendations, and respond quickly when questions arose. Over time, that consistency helped build trust and confidence on both sides.

For Billing Manager Annmarie Cavallo, the collaborative approach stood out immediately. She says, "[Our partner] always goes the extra mile to answer questions, resolve issues, fix challenges with the coding team, and research the steps needed to correct a claim. We meet weekly and she is always quick to respond to any email questions I may have.”

Creating cleaner claims through better visibility

As the team worked through claims in the hold queues, another opportunity emerged.

Weekly reviews and clarification logs began revealing patterns that extended beyond individual claims. Recurring issues, such as missing modifiers and other documentation-related discrepancies, were identified and discussed with the practice. These insights gave the team greater visibility into the factors affecting claim performance and created opportunities to improve workflows upstream.

Instead of simply resolving individual claims, the practice was able to make process adjustments that supported cleaner claim submission moving forward.

The result was a more informed approach to revenue cycle management. Staff gained a deeper understanding of billing trends, while leadership developed greater confidence in the systems and processes supporting reimbursement.

Delivering measurable revenue cycle improvements

The impact of the engagement became visible within the first few months.

At the start of the project, approximately 1,200 claims were sitting in targeted worklists. Within two and a half months, that number had been reduced to roughly 300 claims — a 75% reduction in backlog.*

The practice also saw meaningful improvements in accounts receivable performance. Client days in accounts receivable (DAR) improved by 66%, decreasing from an average of approximately 15 days before the engagement to 5.1 days during the following three-month period.*

Those operational gains translated into measurable financial value as well. Overall, the engagement generated an 11X return on investment when comparing Advisory Services fees against payments collected on claims worked during the project.*

For the team at Our Family Practice, the results reinforced the value of combining dedicated expertise with a collaborative approach. Cavallo says,  

"When we started with Advisory Services two months ago, our hold buckets were at about $150,000. In a few months, Jenny and her team reduced our hold buckets to less than $5,000."*

A strong foundation for future growth

While the metrics were significant, the practice views the engagement's greatest value through a broader lens.

The partnership provided dedicated support during an important operational transition, helped strengthen revenue cycle workflows, and gave the team greater visibility into the factors influencing billing performance. Just as importantly, it created a trusted relationship built on communication, responsiveness, and shared goals.

Today, Our Family Practice operates with a dramatically reduced claims backlog, improved accounts receivable performance, and a stronger foundation for future growth. By taking a proactive approach to revenue cycle management and partnering with Advisory Services, the practice transformed a period of transition into an opportunity to enhance operational performance and position itself for continued success.